NEW YORK—Wireless phones are poised to overtake notebook PCs as the dominant Internet platform in some markets, according to a new study from Ipsos Insight.
The market research firm’s annual study of Internet trends found that 28 percent of mobile phone owners worldwide have browsed the Web on their handsets, up from 25 percent one year ago. Uptake is strongest in France, Japan and the United Kingdom, the firm said, and much of the growth stems from older users—indicating the wireless Web is gaining mass-market traction.
“Accessing the Internet on a wireless handheld device is no longer a novelty for consumers in the major global economies,” said Brian Cruikshank, managing director of Ipsos’ Technology & Communications practice. “It’s becoming a common, everyday occurrence for many people.”
Wireless Web usage is flattening in the United States and Canada, though, where the notebook PC appears to be gaining ground as the platform of choice for on-the-go Internet access.
