A report from Nielsen Mobile, The State of the Mobile Web, claims that its adoption has reached a critical mass and can now support 'large-scale mobile marketing efforts.'

Since May 2008, 15.6 % of US mobile subscribers use mobile Internet on their devices, which means about 40 million subscribers. More than 95 million US mobile subscribers pay for access to the mobile Internet but don't use it so much. In the UK 12.9 % use the Net on their mobile devices.

Nielsen Mobile said that in Russia, Brazil, and India, mobile lines far outnumber landlines, and as those countries continue to flourish, they will become a greater driving force in mobile Internet use. The most common device used among US mobile Internet users is not a smartphone; it's a Motorola RAZR. Next was Apple's iPhone coming in second at four percent.

The BlackBerry Pearl came in third at two percent, tied with the BlackBerry 8800 series and Motorola Q series. Nielsen said that this makes for a good marketing opportunity. While mobile users do not like the idea of advertising, it could be successful as long as mobile marketing can respect consumer privacy and actually engage users. X

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