Internet browsing: Britons prefer smartphones

Reuters/London

Smartphones have overtaken laptops as the preferred way for Britons to go online, driven by increased take-up of the devices and a jump in superfast mobile broadband subscriptions, the British telecoms regulator said on Thursday.

A third of people said they turned to a smartphone first to browse the Internet, access social media or shop online, while 30% opened up a laptop, Ofcom said. A year ago, 40% preferred to use a laptop and 22% a smartphone.

People are also spending longer glued to their iPhone or Android mobile, using the devices for 1 hour and 54 minutes every day on average, it said, and a third of users turn to their smartphone within five minutes of waking up.

Ofcom said Britain had seen a rapid take-up in superfast mobile broadband in the last year, with an eight-fold increase in subscriptions to 23.6mn.

Television, however, still met most people's entertainment needs. People watch on average 3 hours 40 minutes of broadcast TV a day, 11 minutes less than a year ago, Ofcom said.