Facebook Dominates U.K. Mobile Internet Use

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Facebook accounted for almost 40 percent of page impressions from U.K. mobile devices during December, according to data from the GSM Association and comScore. The pair estimates that 31 percent of mobile Internet users accessed the social network during the month, ahead of Google with a 29 percent share of reach.

Despite numerous design updates and dedicated sites for a number of mobile devices, Facebook does not currently run ads on its mobile site in the U.K. or elsewhere, suggesting it could potentially be missing out on a significant revenue opportunity.

In total, the GSMA estimates 16 million people in the U.K. accessed the Internet from their mobile phones during December, viewing a combined total of 6.7 billion pages and spending an aggregate of 4.8 billion minutes online during the month. The top 10 sites accounted for 70 percent of both total pages viewed and total time spent online during that period.

The data marks the official launch of the association's http://www.clickz.com/3632817">Mobile Media Metrics product, designed to provide brands and agencies with more transparent audience metrics, and in turn drive an increase in mobile ad spending. "Irreversibly anonymized" user behavior data is contributed by five of the U.K.'s biggest network operators; O2, Vodafone, Orange, T-Mobile and 3UK. However, the December figures include data from just three of those parties, with input from the remaining two due to be factored in by May.