New research from mobile survey company, On Device Research, which was conducted on the mobile internet, has uncovered a new mobile-only internet audience.

More than 50 per cent of Asian and African mobile internet users, as well as more than 20 per cent of users in developed markets, such as the UK and US, do not use the internet on a PC. The findings are based on a survey of 15,204 respondents in 12 countries, carried out on the mobile internet between July and November 2010.

This group of previously-unconnected consumers is emerging in all parts of the world, and this change in behaviour will have huge implications not only for  individuals, but also in the way brands interact with the mobile-only internet generation.

“Internet companies and brands now have a new internet audience,” says On Device Research managing director, Alistair Hill. “These mobile-only internet browsers are the next frontier, and are a glimpse into the next billion of connected consumers. In emerging countries, fixed-line internet is being completely bypassed by mobile users.”

This new segment has distinct characteristics, depending on which countries they come from. In emerging countries, such as India and Nigeria, these consumers are young (more than 70 per cent are under the age of 25), predominantly male and often students. More importantly, they represent the emerging middle class in developing countries.

In developed nations, such as the US, mobile-only has a different profile, with 76 per cent more than 25 years old, and a heavy skew towards lower income groups. These consumers are late adopters who are attracted to the lower total price of going online via their mobiles.

This is the first in a quarterly series of free reports from On Device Research. More in-depth analysis is available here.