IDC: More Mobile Internet Users Than Wireline Users in the U.S. by 2015

FRAMINGHAM, Mass.--()--By 2015, more U.S. Internet users will access the Internet through mobile devices than through PCs or other wireline devices. As smartphones begin to outsell simpler feature phones, and as media tablet sales explode, the number of mobile Internet users will grow by a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 16.6% between 2010 and 2015. The newest release of the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide New Media Market Model (NMMM) forecasts that the impact of smartphone and, especially, media tablet adoption will be so great that the number of users accessing the Internet through PCs will first stagnate and then slowly decline. Western Europe and Japan will not be far behind the U.S. in following this trend.

The New Media Market Model also finds:

  • Worldwide, the total number of Internet user will grow from 2 billion in 2010 to 2.7 billion in 2015, when 40% of the world's population will have access to its vast resources.
  • Global B2C ecommerce spending will grow from $708 billion in 2010 to $1,285 billion in 2015 at a CAGR of 12.7%.
  • Worldwide online advertising will increase from $70 billion in 2010 to $138 billion in 2015, with its share of total advertising across all media growing from 11.9% to 17.8%.

"Forget what we have taken for granted on how consumers use the Internet," said Karsten Weide, research vice president, Media and Entertainment. "Soon, more users will access the Web using mobile devices than using PCs, and it's going to make the Internet a very different place."

IDC's Worldwide New Media Market Model, 1H11 (Doc #230024) is the only model that provides blanket data for the most important consumer Internet metrics for more than 40 countries, the regions, and the world, based on one consistent model. Its more than 150,000 data points cover basic socioeconomic data, user numbers, access device numbers, home broadband Internet access penetration, time spent online, online activities, B2B and B2B ecommerce spending, online advertising, and consumer spending on content. This model also breaks out all numbers between the wireline and mobile segments. The New Media Market Model is delivered as a semi-annual Excel database and contains current market-sizing and a five-year forecast.

About IDC

International Data Corporation (IDC) is the premier global provider of market intelligence, advisory services, and events for the information technology, telecommunications, and consumer technology markets. IDC helps IT professionals, business executives, and the investment community to make fact-based decisions on technology purchases and business strategy. More than 1,000 IDC analysts provide global, regional, and local expertise on technology and industry opportunities and trends in over 110 countries. For more than 47 years, IDC has provided strategic insights to help our clients achieve their key business objectives. IDC is a subsidiary of IDG, the world's leading technology media, research, and events company. You can learn more about IDC by visiting www.idc.com.

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Contacts

IDC
Karsten Weide, 650-350-6406
kweide@idc.com
or
Michael Shirer, 508-935-4200
press@idc.com

Release Summary

The IDC Worldwide New Media Market Model forecasts that more U.S. Internet users will access the Internet through mobile devices than through PCs or other wireline devices.

Contacts

IDC
Karsten Weide, 650-350-6406
kweide@idc.com
or
Michael Shirer, 508-935-4200
press@idc.com