The UK’s leading public WiFi provider, The Cloud, has revealed the results of its annual analysis into the way the UK population uses the mobile internet.
Delving into usage data from across The Cloud’s network of more than 22,000 public hotspots, the report reveals a huge increase in the amount of time we spend browsing. The Cloud users have spent 78% more time logged on to public WiFi than in 2013, with over 28 billion minutes being spent online.
60% access internet from mobiles
“The UK is a digital nation. We spend more money online shopping than any other country and almost 60% of us regularly access the internet from mobile devices,” said Roger Matthews, Commercial Director, The Cloud. “In business, the digital sector is now worth £71 billion to the UK economy. That means we spend a vast amount of our lives online and it is shown clearly in our new figures. This demand for mobile connectivity has led to a record number of consumers signing up to The Cloud, with the active user base growing from 9 million to now over 12 million, a 34% increase in the last year alone!”
Trends
The mobile devices the UK population use to go online also revealed some interesting trends. Smartphones accessibility ensured it remained the most popular way to connect, accounting for 89% of usage. With Android seeing the highest year on year growth at 49%. Tablets also delivered a credible year-on-year increase at 21% – a trend The Cloud expects to continue into 2015 and beyond.
“As rich media content becomes more popular, we expect 2015 to bring an increased demand for reliable, high-speed connectivity. Because of this, we believe tech savvy users will start auto-connecting to The Cloud network to save on data. We are an increasingly digital generation and the larger screens that tablets offer are well-suited to content-obsessed consumers who devour everything from movies to gaming,” explained Matthews. “2015 will bring more rich media, more streaming and more WiFi minutes than ever before. This is an exciting era in digital and the UK public are undoubtedly embracing it.”
The Cloud itself had a hugely successful year, signing up new partners including Brighton and Hove Albion FC, LEGOLAND® Windsor Resort, several healthcare providers and educational establishments including UCL. It also re-signed a number of major high-street names including Caffè Nero, Wagamama and Pret A Manger. The company also agreed partnerships with Virgin Mobile and Mastercard, adding to services provided to Affinity and mobile service providers.
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