mobile internetIDC predicts that more than one billion mobile devices will be used to access the internet in 2013, more than doubling 2009’s 450 million mobile internet users.

To put that in perspective, the global population of total internet users just passed one billion at the beginning of this year.

“With a wealth of information and services available from almost anywhere, Internet-connected mobile devices are reshaping the way we go about our personal and professional lives,” said John Gantz, chief research officer at IDC.

IDC predicts that among the app categories that will have the fastest growth will be those for online purchasing, social networking and blogging, as well as business applications and corporate email systems.

“With an explosion in applications for mobile devices underway, the next several years will witness another sea change in the way users interact with the Internet and further blur the lines between personal and professional,” Gantz said.

More numbers from ICD:

  • More than 1.6 billion people used the internet in 2009, just over a quarter of the world’s population. IDC predicts that number will jump to 2.2 billion, one-third of the global population, by 2013.
  • The number of devices used to access the internet will grow from 1.6 billion in 2009 to 2.6 million in 2013, which indicates the number of people accessing the internet by multiple devices will grow as well.
  • The U.S. has more devices connected to the internet than any other country. China has the largest mobile internet population.
  • Globally, more than 624 million internet users will make online purchases totaling nearly $8 trillion in revenue in 2009.

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