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Poles are spending more and more time online each year using mobile devices. However, the share of computers, on which we surf mainly when we work on them, is decreasing. It’s hard to expect the trend to change anytime soon – it looks identical not only in Poland. What do analysts forecast? What changes can be expected in the mobile Internet market in the coming years?
We use the web on mobile devices
Convenience, easy access, ability to use almost anywhere – these are among the most important features of using the web on mobile devices, as confirmed by statistics. How has this changed in recent years? Take a peek at the chart. According to gs.statcounter.com, currently the share of mobile devices is close to 55 percent, while pay attention to the blue and green lines – we observe an almost continuous decline in surfing on computers and the growing popularity of mobile devices. On top of that, we should mention the share of tablets, which remains at a few percent.
Source: https://gs.statcounter.com/platform-market-share/desktop-mobile-tablet/poland/#monthly-200901-202112
What does it look like in Poland? Very similar. In our country, the share of mobile devices also exceeds 50 percent. On the other hand, note that in Poland the use of the web on mobile devices has become more popular faster than in the world.
Source: https://gs.statcounter.com/platform-market-share/desktop-mobile-tablet/poland/#monthly-200901-202112
Such a development was inevitable, and it was also linked to the mobile operators’ offers. It used to be that the use of mobile Internet was associated with high costs – we had 1 GB per month to use in a subscription or pre-paid offer, sometimes a little more. This amount of transfer did not allow us to use the network comfortably and without much restriction. Nowadays we have many times more data at our disposal, the use of mobile Internet is cheaper, which is connected with the great popularity of this service.
Mobile internet market will continue to grow
PMR Market Experts estimated the value of the mobile internet market in Poland in 2020 at PLN 6.2 billion. This would mean that growth of 7 percent year-on-year was achieved. On the other hand, the projected cumulative growth rate between 2021 and 2026 is 4.9 percent. This means that we can expect the popularity of mobile internet use to continue to grow in the coming years. The aforementioned amount of 6.2 billion zlotys was expected to account for ¼ of mobile operators’ revenues.
Source: https://www.pmrmarketexperts.com/trwa-hossa-na-rynku-mobilnego-internetu-w-polsce-monetyzacja-5g-poki-co-malo-wyrazna-w-wynikach-telekomow/
Revenues from mobile Internet usage on phones are the largest contributor to the result. However, we should remember that some customers choose mobile Internet service as a home solution due to the unavailability of fixed network access in a given location.
The pandemic has not had a negative impact on the mobile Internet market. One might have expected that working from home and studying online would have resulted in less interest in mobile access to the network and a bet on fixed Internet. However, this has not been the case. On the contrary, the pandemic caused the number of smartphone web users to increase. There has also been an increase in the percentage of Internet users who use the web daily and rely on multiple digital services. Record demand for video streaming has emerged – in November 2021, Netflix was used by the largest number of Poles ever, with some 13 million people visiting the service on various devices.
Growth in average monthly mobile data transmission
In tandem with the increased interest in mobile internet usage has come an increasing monthly data usage. The change is significant – from 5.2 GB in 2018 to 8.9 GB in 2020. It was in 2020 that we saw an acceleration in the popularity of mobile internet. At its end, mobile data on smartphones was used by 20 million Poles who were at least 15 years old. This result was influenced by many factors. Among other things, in pandemonium, the percentage of online shoppers increased above forecasts. Digital offerings have become richer, with more and more services and products available online. There has been very strong growth in the market for online training and applications for holding conferences online.
Source: https://www.pmrmarketexperts.com/trwa-hossa-na-rynku-mobilnego-internetu-w-polsce-monetyzacja-5g-poki-co-malo-wyrazna-w-wynikach-telekomow/
PMR forecasts that the number of customers using mobile Internet in a dedicated model, i.e. using a modem and a computer, will increase in the coming years. This is influenced, among other things, by the underdeveloped fixed Internet network in smaller towns and cities. On the other hand, in places where users can use fiber-optic internet, mobile access to the network has a dangerous competitor that can win if only by unlimited transfer.
In the case of business customers, the choice falls most often on a fiber-optic link, which provides very fast file transfer with no restrictions in terms of data volume. At ITH we offer them a connection of up to 1 GB/s. Such customers are primarily interested in reliable fixed-line Internet.
The coming years of the mobile internet market in Poland
PMR expects the value of the mobile internet market in our country to grow by the aforementioned 4.9 percent annually in the coming years. This will be influenced by the growing interest in using the network on smartphones, as well as the increasing consumption of mobile data and sales of voice tariffs with 5G network access. As for 5G, PMR predicts that access to 5G will become more and more attractive in terms of price, but this will not cause sudden movements in the mobile Internet market. Most likely, the improved availability of fifth-generation technology will not translate into greater interest in modems and mobile Internet use on computers. This is due, among other things, to the rapid development of fiber-optic technology in Poland.