It has been found that many British consumers have mobile handsets capable of accessing the internet but are reluctant to use the service due to confusion over the mobile internet costs.

From 2009 there has been a continued uptake of mobile-based internet services by British users but this has not changed the concern they have over the cost of getting online.

The most recent report from Communications regulator Ofcom has shown that most mobile users in Britain do not see their mobile devices as a multifunctional device but simply as telephone.

It was suggested in the Communications Market 2010 report that the figures “may also reflect confusion about data charges for consumers not on unlimited data plans”

The findings from the Ofcom report saw that just 23 percent of British users access mobile phone-based internet services like social networking, which is an increase of just 3 percent compared to 2009 was a surprising revelation.

An industry expert advised that internet service adoption should grow steadily but the speed of the uptake of these services may be significantly restricted by the concerns that many users have about unexpected costs being incurred. He went on to add that because unlimited data packages on smart phones have now been stopped by mobile network providers it is now more important that users understand the size of the data allowance they need to get the most out of various capabilities of the smartphone.

The report also found that with a take-up of 45 percent this year compared to 38 percent in 2009 it is British users aged between 15 and 24 that are the heaviest users of mobile phone-based internet services. It was also found by the report that a huge number of British users refuse to access mobile internet services with just more than 60 percent not interested in using their mobile handsets to access the internet.

Source – Mobile Choices