Majority of Canadians access web via mobile phone

Nearly two-thirds of consumers will be mobile phone internet users by 2018

(June 27, 2014) – For the first time, more than half of the overall population of Canada will use the internet on their mobile phones at least monthly this year, eMarketer estimates. The US will pass the halfway marker this year as well, according to our latest estimates of mobile phone usage patterns around the world.

Mobile phone internet user penetration in North America, by Country, 2012-2018

By the end of our forecast period, nearly two-thirds of all consumers in Canada will use a mobile browser or app to access the internet on their phones on a monthly basis. Canada’s mobile phone internet penetration rates will remain a couple percentage points below those in the US throughout our forecast.

Mobile phone internet users in North America, by Country, 2012-2018

What does 50% penetration add up to? This year, we estimate 17.7 million people in Canada will be mobile phone internet users. That’s a 17.7% increase over 2013, when 15.0 million people went online on their phones in the country. Canada’s mobile phone internet population is growing slightly more quickly than that of the US, but penetration will be fairly high by 2018, with growth of just 5.1% expected that year.

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SOURCE: eMarketer