UK is a Smartphone Society According to Ofcom

norwich high streetSmartphones are now the most popular devices for getting online in the UK, overtaking laptops for the first time, according to research by Ofcom which cited record ownership as transforming the way we communicate.

Two thirds of people now own a smartphone, using it for an average of two hours every day to browse the internet, access social media, shop and bank online. Among 16-24 year olds, ownership is at 90 per cent, and ownership among 55-64 year olds has more than doubled since 2012, hitting 50 per cent.

33 per cent of internet users now consider their smartphone their most important device for getting online, with 30 per cent preferring laptops. This represents a considerable shift since 2014, when 22 per cent favoured phones and 40 per cent stuck with laptop.

The growth of 4G mobile broadband has been a major driver in changing peoples habits. In 2014, 4G subscriptions leapt from 2.7m to 23.6m. 4G users are more likely to shop and bank online, watch more mobile video, make more VoiP calls and use services like Snapchat and WhatsApp more.

The 4G rollout, initially criticised for its slow speed, is now in full swing, with at least one service available to 89.5 per cent of UK premises and 42 per cent of UK residents able to choose from all four 4G providers.

“4G has supercharged our smartphones, helping people do everything from the weekly shop to catching up with friends with a face-to-face video call,” said James Thickett, director of research at Ofcom. “For the first time, smartphones have overtaken laptops as the UKs most popular internet device and are now the hub of our daily lives.”

Tablets have become ubiquitous too, with 54 per cent of UK households boasting at least one, a huge leap from just two per cent in 2011. Between tablets and smartphones, internet use has exploded, with average time spent online having doubled in the past decade, to over 20 hours a week.

“This report confirms that mobile is the preferred device for consumers online,” said Mark Haviland, managing director of Rakuten Marketing Europe. “Its crucial that marketers respond to Ofcoms research and change their approach to match how people are consuming the internet.

“A quarter of shoppers are purchasing on their smartphones, but a significant proportion of consumers are also using mobile devices within a longer purchase journey. Marketers must realise the value of mobile as a facilitator for commerce on other channels. Only with an omnichannel approach and optimised, targeted advertising can marketers provide a seamless and consistent customer experience and make the most of this mobile boom.”