Jump in Mobile Internet Usage in SEA

The exponential growth in popularity of internet-enabled multimedia devices is resulting in increases in non-PC based web traffic, and many internet users in Southeast Asia (SEA) now access the internet via a device other than their PC, such as mobiles and tablet devices, according to recent figures released by Nielsen.

The Nielsen figures reveal that while personal computers remain the primary means of getting online for SEA internet users (94%), a growing proportion are turning to alternative devices and 4% say their mobile phone is their primary means of accessing the internet.

Use of portable devices as a means to access the internet is expected to continue to grow in the future, with 61% of internet users indicating they would access the internet via a mobile phone within the next 12 months, and one third intended to access the internet via other handheld multimedia devices such as tablet computers.

At the end of 2010, Nielsen estimated Smartphone penetration amongst SEA netizens to be around 20%. In addition, close to one in two SEA internet users who did not already own a Smartphone at the end of 2010 intended to purchase a Smartphone in 2011, with this expected spike in Smartphone ownership adding fuel to mobile internet usage, particularly if data plans become more affordable.

“Southeast Asians have been very quick to embrace new technology such as Smartphones and tablets which provide on-the-go access to the internet,” said Matt Bruce, Nielsen’s Managing Director of Audience Measurement in the APMEA Region. “The rapid upswing in ownership of internet-enabled devices is now starting to play out in terms of the make-up of internet activity and our clients increasingly need to gauge what proportion of their web traffic can be attributed to devices other than PCs.”

Tapping into this growing demand for “anytime, anywhere” internet access, Nielsen has just announced enhancements to its website tagging service, Market Intelligence, enabling website owners to, for the first time, monitor the make-up of traffic to their sites based on device type.

Nielsen’s enhanced Market Intelligence service will also report on the ultra-competitive operating system (OS) space, comparing Microsoft’s Windows OS with others such as Mac OS, iOS (the operating system used on Apple’s iPhone and iPad) and Android.

“With the lion’s share of internet activity being driven by PCs, Windows remains the front-runner in operating systems,” added Bruce. “If we look at operating systems in use for Smartphones or Tablets specifically, however, these numbers look quite different. As non-PC internet activity continues to ramp up, operating systems such as iOS and Android will begin to account for a much larger portion of web traffic.”

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