I’m not breaking any news when I write that mobile Internet usage is exploding.  This move towards mobile has a direct impact on our work here at The Bivings Group, so I’ve been following the trend very closely.   In the spirit of sharing, I figured I’d write a quick (lazy?) post highlighting some key facts about mobile I’ve come across the last few months.

  • There are  4 billion mobile phones in use globally. Of these, over one billion are smart phones.  Source 

  • Sales of smart phones grew by 96% in 2010.  Source

  • It is estimated that by 2014, more people will access the Internet via mobile phones than via desktop computers. Source

  • There are 48 million people in the world who have mobile phones, even though they do not have electricity at home. Source 

  • Estimates suggest that there will be 788 million mobile-only Internet users by 2015. Source 

  • Global mobile data traffic is projected to increase by a factor of 26 by 2015. Source 

  • What exactly are all these smart phone users doing?   81% browse the Internet, 77% search, 68% use an app, and 48% watch videos on their smartphone.

  • The most popular websites for smart phone users are search engines, social networks, retail and video sharing websites.   Source  

  • 72% of smart phone owners use their phones while consuming other media.  1/3 use their phones while watching TV. Source   

  • The average American mobile Internet user spends 2.7 hours a day socializing on their mobile device.  Source 

  • The number of videos delivered by YouTube to mobile devices tripled in 2010.  YouTube now delivers 200 millions video views each day on mobile devices.  Source

  • Starbucks reports that more than 3 million people have paid for coffee using the Starbucks Card Mobile App.  Source

  • Over 1/3 of Facebook’s 600 million user base access the site form a mobile devices. Source

  • Half of Twitter’s 150 million users access the site from a mobile device. Source

About the Author
Todd Zeigler
Todd Zeigler serves as the Brick Factory’s chief strategist and oversees the operations of the firm. In his sixteen year career in digital, he has planned and implemented campaigns for clients including the Pickens Plan, International Youth Foundation, Panthera, Edison Electric Institute, and the American Chemistry Council. Todd develops ambitious online advocacy programs, manages crises, implements online marketing strategies, and develops custom applications and software. He is bad at golf though.