Google search most accessed service on mobiles too

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New Delhi: What’s true for internet, is true for mobile phones also. Google, the most popular online search engine, is the most accessed website among mobile phones users as well. A study conducted by telecom research agency Informate Mobile Intelligence (IMI) has found that the online search giant and its allied services are the most popular among mobile phone users in India, followed by Yahoo!.

Mumbai-based IMI measures mobile phone usage trends among consumers and this finding is part of their first ever study released on Wednesday. According to the study conducted among 2,500 individuals across 15 cities, including metros, tier-I and tier-II cities, online search is the most popular activity among mobile phone users with facility to access internet. This is followed by using mobile internet to access emails, followed by social networking.

In the banking and financial services category, which is the most popular segment online, ICICI Bank, Bombay Stock Exchange and National Stock Exchange are the most visited sites among mobile internet users. In the dating and matrimonial category, again with a significant following over the internet, shaadi.com is the most acccessed web site followed by bharatmatrimony and jeevansaathi. In the travel and tourism category, the study found Indian Railways to be the most visited website. Most mobile users spend most of their time on music, games and chat. While television audience measurement and online consumer trends measurement are established practices in India, there aren’t too many agencies measuring mobile phone usage trends.

IMI is eyeing to become the mobile usage rating agency in India. The company’s president Kedar Sohoni said: “Informate is aiming to become a standard rating agency that provides accurate and trusted data using industry leading metering and survey technique and this study is the first of the lot.” Most importantly, the study has found that users spend around two hours and 45 minutes of active time on mobile phones for various features and services. In the April to September 2009 period, almost 30-32% of the total active time by mobile users was spent on communication, that included voice calls, chat, messaging, voice mails and emails.

Entertainment and browsing together formed a significant part of the active time spent on mobile phones. As per data released by Informate, voice calls contribute a major portion of the communication via mobile, but messaging and chat are emerging as a good substitutes for communication.