GSMA Mobile Media Metrics Report: UK mobile applications usage

The data from the GSMA Mobile Media Metrics (MMM) application key measurements report reveals that nearly 8.8 million UK mobile owners used an app that connected to the internet during April 2011, with Google Maps ranking as the most accessed app with 6.4 million unique users.

The application key measurement report includes hundreds of app titles and provides a ranking of the most popular connected applications in the UK. The application ranking is available as part of the GSMA MMM product portfolio, launched in February last year, which includes monthly reports on mobile internet behaviour and a detailed analysis of access methods.

"We are excited to release the first public census-level data from the GSMA and comScore on mobile application usage," said Henry Stevens, media director, GSMA. "Apps have become an important entry point for accessing content on mobile devices and their usage will only increase with the rapid proliferation of smartphones. We look forward to delivering to the UK market these critical insights to help understand the mobile ecosystem."

Jeremy Copp, VP Mobile for comScore Europe added, "To help better measure publishers' mobile assets, we offer mobile-optimised tagging to publishers free of charge. This service gives clients the ability to tag mobile-optimised websites and applications to enable accurate measurement of audiences, including unique visitor counts and engagement metrics, across a variety of devices and platforms. By tagging mobile applications, we can expand the ranking of applications currently under measurement and media owners as well as publishers can be sure that their properties are correctly represented in the metrics and audience measurement rankings."

Leading UK Connected Mobile Applications

In April 2011, 40% of the 21.8 million UK mobile internet users accessed a connected application*. Google Maps ranked as the top mobile app with 6.4 million users, reaching 73.3% of all UK app users. Yahoo's Weather app ranked second with 3.6 million followed by Facebook's app with 3.5 million unique visitors. Another two apps published by Google - Google Mobile and YouTube - rounded out the top five, highlighting Google's strong position among UK mobile consumers.

Apple iOS users comprise 65% of UK connected application users

An analysis of the leading operating systems among connected application users revealed that 65% connected via a device running on Apple iOS. In April 2011 Google's Android OS had the second highest share among operating systems for application usage at 31%. Symbian ranked third and accounted for just 1% of connected app users.

*A "connected" mobile app is an application that connects to a mobile operator's network.

About the GSMA

The GSMA represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide. Spanning 219 countries, the GSMA unites nearly 800 of the world's mobile operators, as well as more than 200 companies in the broader mobile ecosystem, including handset makers, software companies, equipment providers, Internet companies, and media and entertainment organisations. The GSMA also produces industry-leading events such as the Mobile World Congress and Mobile Asia Congress.

For more information, please visit Mobile World Live, the online portal for the mobile communications industry, at www.mobileworldlive.com or the GSMA corporate website at http://www.gsmworld.com.