Preferring Facebook and other big Web brands, claims CCS Insight report.
More than 60% of mobile internet users in the UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain prefer to ignore their operator portals, according to a new report from CCS Insight.
Its Mobile Intenet Usage in Europe, 2009 report found that more than half of all users access Facebook on their handsets, though. Meanwhile, 61% use email on their phones.
"As smartphones become more affordable, people are using them to access the sites they know and love on their PCs," says co-author Martin Garner.
"Mobile network operators and handset manufacturers are losing the battle to define the mobile Internet experience, despite the huge sums they're pouring into sites that compete with the familiar Web names."
Overall, up to a quarter of young people - defined as 16-to-35 year-olds for this research - access the mobile internet every day.
Article continues belowAdvertisement
The survey also found that local mobile social networking sites are popular, such as StudiVZ in Germany, which is used by around half of German users surveyed. Meanwhile, Tuenti in Spain is used by 62% of those surveyed.
Other findings: 39% pay for mobile games, and a further 19% say they would be willing to. However, the report found more reluctance to pay for music and video downloads.
"Network operators, phone-makers and media companies need to focus less on what they want to sell and more on what consumers want to access on their mobile phones," says co-author Paolo Pescatore.
"The alternative will be to sit back and watch the large Web brands continue to define the future of the mobile Internet."
