BBC tops UK mobile web love

UK users are gradually adopting the mobile web to access internet players such as the BBC, according to new research - but it's still down to Japan to show how it's done.

A study by researchers comScore and Telephia has found 5.7 million UK consumers used the mobile web during January 2007, compared to the 30 million who regularly access the internet from a PC or laptop.

Younger users make up the bulk of the mobile web, according to the research, which found the under-35s account for 67 per cent of its users.

Several of the 'fixed' internet's big names - such as Google and Yahoo! - are among the most popular sites on the mobile web in the UK. However, the top website for phone surfers is the BBC.

According to the researchers, such sites are popular with users on the move as they offer the kind of time-sensitive information - news, weather, sports results - mobile web users crave.

It's predicted mobile web usage will grow as phones' capabilities improve and operators create more appealing pricing models. Increasingly, mobile networks are turning to flat-rate plans to encourage users to sign up to data packages.

NTT DoCoMo, Japan's largest mobile operator, has already found consumers have an appetite for mobile data. The company revealed earlier this month it now has more than 10 million customers signed up to its flat-rate plans.