Internet in China: 38% only mobile

According to research company On Device Research, 38% of Chinese mobile web users access the Internet only on their smartphones.
Mobile research specialists On Device Research, who use the mobile internet to access consumer opinions, have released a report reviewing the number of web users who only access the internet through their mobile. The report covers 5 developing economies with the UK as a comparison, and drills down specifically into China.

One of the key take-outs from the report is 38% of Chinese mobile web users only access the internet through their mobile. This is an increase of 8 percentage points over the past year.

This trend is especially prevalent in rural areas where 45% are mobile only, compared to 29% in the city. These figures indicate the mobile internet is continuing to connect the previously unconnected in China, where in rural areas computers are not so easily accessible.

Alistair Hill, CEO of On Device Research said, “The mobile revolution is bringing with it a new generation of mobile only internet users. The motivations for this vary, in developed markets it’s more for convenience, in developing economies it’s more likely they don’t have access to a computer.

Mobile internet gives those in developing countries access to the world’s information, and in turn this opens up numerous opportunities, both for the consumer and for those who want to communicate effectively with this new audience.”

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