Report: 89% of German smartphone users surf several times a day

Smartphone data services have become a fundamental part of daily life for German subscribers, with more than 89 per cent of users saying that they accessed mobile Internet services several times a day.

According to the fifth annual Mobile 360° study from G+J eMS -- a subsidiary of German publishing house Gruner und Jahr -- the smartphone is now an essential daily tool for German subscribers, particularly within younger population groups.

Indeed, almost three quarters (72 per cent) of people aged 29 and below say they spend more than 40 minutes a day on the mobile Internet. Among the over 60s, the percentage drops to just 10 per cent. Some 61 per cent of participants said they owned a tablet as well as a smartphone, with typical tablet users tending to be older and male.

The results are based on a survey of 470 smartphone users, who were asked questions about their mobile Internet usage in order to gain insights into their consumption of general media, information and news services and social media via mobile devices.

The use of a smartphone or tablet as a “second screen” is also gaining momentum, with 48 per cent of users saying they tended to be online via their mobile device while also watching television.

Interestingly the report also found there was a growing understanding of mobile advertising, with 59 per cent of smartphone users accepting advertisements because they enabled them to gain free access to an app or a website. However, a critical factor here is that usage of a mobile service is not adversely affected by mobile adverts.

Indeed, several mobile operators have said that they intend to trial ad-blocking software to eliminate intrusive advertising, which only serves to underline how important it is to get mobile advertising right.

For example, Three UK trialled ad-blocking technology from Shine Technologies in June to test the ability of the technology "to filter out advertising that damages our customers' mobile browsing experience without impacting their network experience."

For more:
- see this G+J eMS release

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