NewZNew (Chandigarh) : College students are spending upto 8 hours daily browsing internet on their mobile phones, according to a survey done by Ipsos, a leading global market research firm. The research was commissioned by UCWeb, the developer behind UC Browser, India’s No.1 mobile browser with over 54% market share (as per StatCounter), to find out the usage and adoption pattern for mobile browsers across various categories in India.

Working professionals are spending almost 5-8 hours daily on the mobile internet, using Wi-Fi on the weekends and 3G/2G on weekdays. School students are also using internet on mobile phones for almost 3-4 hours daily during week days with the number rising during weekends.

Analyzing the tier-wise Indian demographic, Ipsos Survey reveals that Speed & 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 1 towns; for a majority, mobile is the only screen to the internet accessed only through data plans and hence the sensitivity to speed & data utilization is relatively higher.

According to IPSOS 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 obile 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 sample included people using internet on their phones for activities beyond chatting messaging among Sec A2/B (30:70), 15-30 years.