In 2016 More Than 2 Billion People Will Access Internet via Mobile Devices

More than 2 billion people across the globe will have access to the Internet via a mobile device next year, accounting for well over half of the 3.2 billion Internet users worldwide in 2016. This predicts IDC in it's annual report.

The research company said the total number of mobile Internet users is forecast to rise at a pace of 2 per cent annually through 2020, while the number of people accessing the Internet exclusively via a mobile device will increase by 25 per cent a year over the next five years.

However, IDC noted that this might change if new methods of accessing the Internet are successfully introduced.

For example, Google, SpaceX and Facebook are among some of the companies that plan to make the Internet available to the other 4 billion people on the planet via high-altitude planes, balloons and satellites.

Scott Strawn, programme director, strategic advisory service at IDC, also noted that as the number of people accessing the Internet via a mobile device rises, the amount of time spent on such devices will also continue to grow.

"This change in the way we access the Internet is fuelling explosive growth in mobile commerce and mobile advertising," Strawn added, noting that advertisers are shifting their spending accordingly as they recognise that people are increasingly spending more time and money online using mobile devices.