Mobile Internet Usage Would Rise if Usability Was Improved

InfoGin has published the results of an extensive trial held across five UK universities which reveals positive responses to mobile Web surfing soaring by over 120 percent when it's software was deployed.

Moreover, 69 percent of respondents agreed that if InfoGin's technology was implemented by their operator, they would surf the Web on their mobiles more often and consider their phone complimentary to their regular PC surfing habits. At the same time, 71 per cent of all users involved in the trial said they would be willing to pay an additional fee for access to a service like InfoGin?s that improved the mobile internet surfing experience.

Prior to the trial, two in three students found surfing the Internet on their mobile such a poor experience that they gave up trying. During the trial period, a thousand students from five UK universities accessed the mobile Internet through InfoGins Intelligent Mobile Platform. Users picked three random web sites and accessed them once using InfoGin's platform and again without using it. As a result, 69 per cent commented that the experience was "useable or enjoyable" when accessed through InfoGin.

Prior to the trial, only 18 percent of users found mobile Internet services to be satisfactory. 83 percent of all trial respondents agreed that as the Web offers more social networking and online community activities, it is becoming more and more important to access the Web while being on the move.

"Today mobile phone users are faced with a very poor experience when they surf the Internet on their mobiles" said Eran Wyler, CEO and Founder, InfoGin. "We commissioned this trial to demonstrate how crucial it is for operators to be able to provide capabilities for end users to surf the real Internet on their mobiles. Students are typically early adopters of services such as mobile Internet, and the trial clearly demonstrates that operators should address such issues as download time, Web page layout and rich Web functionality on mobiles."

The trial was conducted over a three month period, from December 2006 to March 2007 and evaluated by technology research specialists Vanson Bourne. Nearly 1,000 students from five UK universities, including Newcastle, Bath and Nottingham were invited to take part in the trial to experience InfoGin's Web to mobile technology over an extended period of time. Of these, 100 were selected at random to answer experience questions.

The trial also concluded that two in three students considered access to study, research and university websites were the most important resources that they could view on their mobiles, suggesting that they can be on the move whilst continuing their studies.

Next on their list of important sites to browse on their mobiles were social and community sites, including Facebook (52%), news and current affairs sites such as BBC (46%), sports sites (44%) and download sites to buy wallpaper and ringtones (31%)."

Posted to the site on 10th May 2007