YouthNet blog
An insight into youth issues, volunteering trends, charity life and more from the UK charity YouthNet
All | Events | Youth | Technology | Volunteering | YouthNet | Charity World
Friday Aug 18, 2006
Happy WAP-ping
Ever since mobile phone companies paid £22.5 billion for 3G networks in the UK people have been questioning whether mobile internet really was the next big thing.
Despite the companies' best efforts the results have been disappointing. Mobile internet page impressions averaged about 1.5 billion per month through 2005, but growth appears to have slowed. And, according to a survey (PDF file) earlier this year, only 11% of British mobile phone users have accessed mobile internet, compared with 28% worldwide.
The same research suggests that "One in three (33%) British mobile phone users want to surf the web on their mobile phones, but only if it is like the true Internet environment."
Well, they aren't going to get that. I had my first proper go on a WAP phone this week (I know, not exactly an early adopter) and it is very much text-based with only around 50 words fitting onto a screen.
Nonetheless, having previously been sceptical about mobile internet, I found myself converted. The connection was quick and, on a well-designed site, it's easy to browse. The BBC, having previously paid WAP little attention, seems to agree. Last night I saw them promoting their WAP sites on TV and, according to a recent report "page views [for BBC sites] for WAP usage are growing at 100% year on year", with the biggest increases coming from Africa.
YouthNet, too, will soon be publishing content on mobiles, partly because young people are more likely to have a phone than a computer.
The key factor determining future growth will probably be charges. Digital TV took off when Freeview was offered for nothing; broadband became widespread when prices began to fall dramatically. Will the mobile phone companies, saddled with their 3G debts, be able to offer users similar encouragement?
Posted by Tom Green ( 10:40 AM ) Link to this post Comments[0]