Strong demand for Web-enabled mobile devices

Not surprisingly, the emerging markets lead mature markets in our survey in terms of future demand too. For example, more respondents in the emerging markets than in mature markets, expressed their intention to buy a web enabled mobile phone in the near future (Brazil 78 percent, Russia 73 percent, Mexico 61 percent, South Africa 57 percent versus an average of 40 percent for all countries). However, the demand has been rising over the years. Reflecting inherent demand across all the countries surveyed, an average of 60 percent of those who do not own a mobile phone or who do not access the Internet through their mobile phone have tried to use mobile Internet at least once; 45 percent said they were considering doing so in the near future.

While smartphones are the dominant mobile devices for Internet access, the rising popularity of netbooks (37 percent of the participants) and tablets (22 percent) shows that the digital consumer seeks an array of features while connecting to the Internet, anywhere, anytime. Indeed, their increasing use across countries and across demographics highlights the unprecedented computing power in the hands of the hyperconnected consumer. This segmentation of the mobile device market revealed by the survey has implications for not only device manufacturers but also for players in the communications, media and technology value chain, such as communication service providers, device manufacturers, content providers, communications operators, Internet security companies and Internet advertisers.