Rareplay.com has released a study (PDF) of the top 1000 US brands mobile web presence (selected from 2005 Brandweek rankings). The survey results found that of the top 1000 US brands only 8% were supporting mobile web access. With the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association (CTIA) reporting that in September 2006, 72% of Americans had cellular phones and an increasing number of them are looking to use their phones to access content and services, the number of free mobile ready web sites is disarmingly low. The research compressed brands into one of 15 categories and found that selected industry categories were doing better at offering mobile web sites, with the following leaders:
- Internet/ISPs - 23%
- Travel - 18%
- Insurance - 17%
- Entertainment - 17%
- Electronics/home appliances - 16%
The laggard industry sectors with less than 1% having mobile ready sites included retail, pharmaceuticals and education.
A mobile ready web site will typically be less than 5K according to the report. The brands were evaluated by looking at their websites and also looking at whether the brands used at least one of nine known mobile domain formats. The research report includes screen shots of several of the mobile sites.
According to the research report, Alexa results show that 42% of the top web sites have a mobile version.
According to comScore Networks Research 19% of U.S. Internet users over 15 are accessing the Internet using mobile phones. This compares to a greater penetration of 34% in Germany and Italy.