Mobile web use reaches tipping point

This is according to a new five-year forecast from Forrester Research, which predicts that 38 per cent of all mobile users in Western Europe will user mobile internet services by 2013.

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

The proliferation of 3.5G-enabled devices will be a key driver of this growth, as these mobiles are set to overtake GSM-only and GPRS phones by 2010.

According to Forrester, one in four consumers will own a 3.5G-enabled phone by 2013.

"The mobile internet is finally reaching the tipping point," said Pete Nuthall, Forrester Research analyst.

"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," Nuthall added.

The Forrester report forecasts mobile internet adoption across 17 individual countries, with Austria, Italy, the UK and the Nordics currently leading 3G adoption.