College students use mobile internet up to 8 hours daily

College students are spending up to 8 hours daily browsing the internet on their mobile phones, according to a survey by Ipsos. Working professionals spend almost 5-8 hours daily on the mobile internet, using Wi-Fi on the weekends and 3G and 2G on weekdays, the global market research firm said.

School students are also using internet on mobile phones for almost 3-4 hours daily during week days with the number rising during weekends.

Analysing the tier-wise Indian demographic, the Ipsos survey reveals that speed and brand remain the key influencing factors for users in tier-1 cities. When choosing a mobile browser, additional features also play an important role. In Tier-I towns, for a majority, mobile is the only screen to the internet accessed only through data plans and hence the sensitivity to speed and data utilisation is relatively higher.

According to survey, mobile browsers remain most popular for searching information, use of social media, chatting and sharing pictures. Video calling and online shopping remain the least preferred activities via a mobile browser. More specific online content viewing, gaming, chats, transactions are conducted equally on apps and browsers.

According to the research, a simple layout, one-time download, and basic design are factors favouring a mobile browser over apps. Browsing Speed, Brand, Download speed and features are the key influencing factors in selection of a mobile browser.

The research was commissioned by UCWeb, the developer behind UC Browser, a mobile browser with over 54 per cent market share (as per StatCounter), to find out the usage and adoption pattern for mobile browsers across various categories in India. The sample included people using internet on their phones for activities beyond chatting and messaging in the age group of 15-30 years.