Wi-Fi access accounts for a quarter of smartphone internet traffic

Mobile advertising agency, AdMob has examined the rise of smartphones, the global growth of the iPhone, and the immediate impact of new Android devices in its November 2009 AdMob Mobile Metrics Report.

The report highlights that one of the major trends in 2009 has been the growing share of requests from smartphones and increasing usage of Wi-Fi. In November 2009 in the US, smartphones accounted for 48 per cent of mobile Web and application requests, up from 31 per cent in November 2008.

Wi-Fi usage has also taken off, with 24 per cent of requests in the US coming in over a WiFi network in November 2009, compared to 8 per cent in November 2008. A new class of devices that are not phones, but with the ability to connect to the internet over WiFi, such as the iPod touch, Sony PlayStation Portable (PSP), and Nintendo DSi gained traction in 2009.

The report also examines growth in unique iPhone and iPod touch users since January 2009, finding more rapid growth outside of the US. In November 2009, 50 per cent of unique users were located outside of the US, an increase from 39 percent in January 2009. Of its top markets, Apple devices experienced the strongest percentage growth in Japan, France, and Australia in 2009. Article