The data day: O2 Active breaks a billion...

The promised land of data revenues proper and mobile content looks like becoming a reality, with two of the UK's operators seeing new levels of data usage.

O2 announced today that UK customers have logged on to over one billion pages of internet content in the last three months through its O2 Active portal. According to the Mobile Data Association, O2 accounts for half of the UK's data traffic.

O2, however, has been the last of the major operators to roll out its 3G network. With its third-generation technology now up and running, O2 has overhauled the portal and added customisation features for the next-gen users.

Operators are increasingly turning their attention to data services to boost their bottom lines. O2 recently announced it would also be offering DoCoMo's i-mode service to bolster its non-voice revenues, although analysts have speculated that O2's interest in i-mode and O2 Active could potentially clash.

Another operator whose 3G content has been getting some interest is the original 3G operator, 3.

3 has announced that 10 million music videos have been downloaded by its subscribers in the last six months, an average of five per user, from the operator's video jukebox.

A 3 spokeswoman said that the Barclays Premiership, mobile game downloads and comedy clips had also proved popular with content buyers.