Web surfing by cellphone doubled in '07
The number of people who accessed the Internet using cellphone networks more than doubled in 2007, with the majority doing so for work, researcher ComScore Inc. said yesterday.
Only about 1 percent of US Internet users connect to the Web using mobile broadband technology, which shows it's "poised for significant growth over the next few years," said Serge Matta, a senior vice president at Reston, Va.-based ComScore.
Mobile broadband networks link computers to the Internet with either built-in computer adapters or special cards without a user having to find a wireless Internet "hot spot."
The connection is slower than cable Internet access, and most users are on their work computers, with only 41 percent on their home devices, ComScore said.
"They're not advertising saying they have great speeds on these things," Matta said. "You use them more for convenience, when you're traveling. I travel a ton, and this thing comes in handy - especially when you're trapped in an airplane for four hours."
Consumers will be more accepting of broadband services by cellphone companies as data speeds increase, he said.
"Sprint, Verizon, AT&T are definitely going to beef it up," Matta said.
AT&T Inc., the biggest US mobile phone carrier, is working on faster mobile networks known as third generation, or 3G, which are capable of handling video. 