While there’s no question that the mobile Internet is changing everything, there are still big reasons why people aren’t logging on. The 2015 Global Internet Report presents data that shows it’s not always a question of if it’s available, but rather how cost and a lack of useful content are core to why people are not opting in.
While things need to change, together we have the power to find new solutions so everyone is able to seize the potential of the mobile Internet.
Introduction
We focus this year’s report on the mobile Internet for two reasons. First, as with mobile telephony, the mobile Internet does not just liberate us from the constraints of a wired connection, but it offers hundreds of millions around the world their only, or primary, means of accessing the Internet. Second, the mobile Internet does not just extend the reach of the Internet as used on fixed connections, but it offers new functionality in combination with new portable smart devices.
The benefits of the mobile Internet should not come at the expense of the founding principles of the Internet that led to its success. The nature of the Internet should remain collaborative and inclusive, regardless of changing means of access. In particular, the mobile Internet should remain open, to enable the permission-less innovation that has driven the continuous growth and evolution of the Internet to date, including the emergence of the mobile Internet itself.
Report Highlights
- Executive Summary (pg.6)
- Trends and Growth (pg.40)
- Benefits of the Mobile Internet (pg.68)
- Challenges of the Mobile Internet (pg.92)
- Recommendations (pg.124)
- Data
Timeline of Milestones in the Development of the Mobile Internet
GPRS
Introduction
3G
Launch
iPhone
Introduction
App Store
Introduction
Android Market
Introduction
BlackBerry App Store
Introduction
4G
Launch
Windows Phone
Introduction
Mobile Broadband
more than 50% of access in developing countries.
App Usage
more than 50% of online usage on a smartphone
Firefox OS
Introduction
50 Billion
Google Play downloads total
More Tablets Than Laptops Sold
More Smartphones Than Non-Smartphones Sold Worldwide
75 Billion iOS Downloads Total
More than half of online time was on mobile apps in the USA
More Smartphones Than Non-Smartphones Sold in Developing Countries
3 Billion
Users
More Tablets Sold Than Total PCs