Mobilise your website to capture boom in phone users, says Forrester

The number of mobile-compatible websites and mobile internet services will escalate as the number 3G and 3.5G phone users rises, according to a study by Forrester research.

The growth in adoption means that 125 million Europeans will be accessing the web regularly from their mobile phone - triple the number that do so today.

Forrester said that one of the key drivers will be the proliferation of 3.5G-enabled devices, which will overtake the number of GSM-only and GPRS phones by 2010. By 2013, one in four consumers will own a 3.5G-enabled phone.

"The mobile internet is finally reaching the tipping point," said Forrester Research Analyst Pete Nuthall. "But deploying high-speed mobile networks and rolling out advanced handsets are not enough to spark demand - our data shows that less than half of 3G phone owners use the 3G capability on their phone. To drive the mobile internet, operators will need to push flat-rate data plans, increase the number of relevant services and applications, and introduce new devices that provide a better user experience."