Most 18 to 27 year-old Opera Mini users access the web from their mobile phones more often than they use a desktop or laptop computer for browsing. That’s according to a survey released by Opera Software, the company responsible for the range of Opera web browsers. The figure is dramatically higher in Nigeria, South Africa and Indonesia, where over 90% of these younger users said they used their mobile phones more than computers to access the internet.
The figures come from this month’sState of the Mobile Web report, which looks at web usage by ‘Generation Y’ users between the ages of 18 and 27.
Other figures from Opera’s survey appear to challenge the belief that smartphone uptake will be the major driver of mobile web usage. Countries with the highest percentage of respondents using desktop or laptop computers as the primary means of internet access were also countries where smartphones were among the top handsets used, while Nigeria, South Africa and Indonesia have a lower smartphone penetration.
In October 2010, Opera Mini had over 76.3 million users. That’s a 7.1% increase from the previous month and a 92% increase year-on-year. Page views were up by an even greater percentage; up 12.6% from September 2010 and up 142% from October 2009 to 41.6 billion.
Jon von Tetzchner, co-founder of Opera, said “We have often said that the next generation will grow up knowing the web mostly through their mobile phones. We see this trend already emerging in different regions around the world. The mobile web will bring a profound change in how we connect with one another. I think the results from this survey already show that change taking place.”