The possibility to access the internet on the go and the ever-growing number of hit mobile apps available have made mobile devices indispensable for users worldwide. The United Kingdom, whilst not being a mobile-first market, has seen high levels of mobile internet usage in recent years. In 2022, the UK was one of the countries reporting
, ranking ahead the United States, Germany, and South Korea. In 2022, there were more than 63.2 million
. The global coronavirus pandemic played a role in accelerating mobile usage trends, with UK users spending on average over
devices in 2022. As a large part of that time included accessing internet-powered apps and browsing the web, the number of
in the UK reached 97.2 million users in 2021, confirming the gradual but constant growth trend seen from 2007 onward.
Connectivity and 5G planning
As of May 2022, around one-quarter of users in the United Kingdom reported having
access to 5G mobile service, while the majority had a 4G service on their smartphones. However, infrastructural improvements and new projects that will allow UK users to access fast mobile internet are in the making: in 2025, the
cumulative costs of deploying 5G enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) in the United Kingdom will reach almost 11 billion euros. It is projected that the
share of 5G mobile connections in the UK will increase to almost 60 percent by 2025.
Mobile demographics
As the UK population ages, an increase in tech-savvy mobile internet users is to be expected: as of March 2021, the digital population of the United Kingdom included approximately 10.6 million
unique users on smartphones aged 55 or older. Additionally, smartphones were popular devices to access the net among teenagers and young adults: as of April 2022, young users were
more likely to engage with smartphone devices for their daily internet activities than with computers or tablets. The
smartphone usage rate was high among men and women alike: in December 2022, 97 percent of female internet users in the UK accessed the net via smartphones, while 96 percent of male users did the same.
Mobile apps and social media
As of August 2022,
texting and taking photos were the most popular activities smartphone users in the UK carried out weekly: over eight in 10 of the country’s digital population used their mobile to text, while over seven in 10 respondents reported taking photos weekly. According to an October 2022 survey conducted among Gen Z users, activities that
kept mobile users connected and entertained appeared to occupy a special spot in their day-to-day life: using social media was indicated as a regular activity by approximately 80 percent of respondents while using a music streaming service and watching YouTube videos were claimed by 72 percent and 65 percent of respondents.
With the great majority of
all active internet users in the UK being also social media users, it does not come as a surprise that mobile-first social apps like Snapchat and TikTok have experienced great popularity among users in the country. In September 2022, TikTok generated around 300 thousand
downloads from the Google Play Store, as well as 370 thousand
downloads from iPhone users in the country. Despite its overwhelming popularity, the UK public harbors a lack of trust towards the Chinese-developed social video platform: according to a February 2023 survey, over half of UK respondents would like to see the
Government ban TikTok from staff devices, while only 20 percent were reportedly against the measure.
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