The Norwegian creators of the Opera browsers said today that mobile
Internet use seems to be surpassing wired access in much of Southeast
Asia. And that in some areas, it's the standard means of access, rather than the
alternative. You can check out their monthly State of the Mobile Web report here. The geographic snapshot from October happens to focus
on Southeast Asia; something I didn't know about when I wrote a piece on
the market yesterday.
The report shows rapid growth in the
user base of Opera's mobile browser, which is likely indicative of an
increase in mobile browsing overall. The
company also takes into consideration the number of users who adopt the software because it comes pre-installed on a device versus those who
intentionally seek it out and download to their phones.
Figures representing page views and pages per user are used to estimate
whether consumers are relying on their mobile browser for most or all
of their daily Internet needs; as opposed to having a primary computer
at home and grabbing or sending some data on the go. What is perhaps most fascinating about the report is that it indicates
some areas are well-connected, but entirely via mobile technologies.
Rapid growth in Indonesia and the Philippines is particularly
noteworthy: Opera reps say Filipino page views have increased more than
1120% over the last year. Either Opera Mobile has the best marketing
firm on the planet, or mobile Internet usage is becoming more prevalent
and necessary everywhere service is available.
Whatever the case, these trends
demonstrate an insatiable thirst for high-speed portable net access. And I wouldn't be surprised if the next major 4G market pops up in
Southeast Asia. With that, I promise not to mention the region
again for at least three days.