Smartphone and internet use in France soars
Smartphones are the number one device in France and are growing fast, with over three quarters of Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³» said to own one and use it to go online almost daily, a new study shows.
Almost all (94%) of the population has some kind of mobile phone, and 76% go online every day, according to the most recent report from the Regulatory Authority for Electronic Communications and Postal Services (l’Arcep (Autorité de régulation des communications électroniques et des postes)); the General Council for Economic Affairs (le Conseil général de l’économie (CGE)), and the Digital Agency (l’Agence du numérique), reported in .
Overall, the report shows significant growth in the smartphone sector, internet use, and internet-connected mobile devices in general, with 73% of Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³» now owning a smartphone, compared to just 28% who had one in 2012.
Similarly, 44% own a tablet device now: a huge rise up from just 4% when the device first appeared on the market six years ago, the report said.
Over eight in ten Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³» (85%) have Internet connection at home, and only 12% say they had never been online: down from the 15% who said the same in last year’s report.
The report showed that 75% of the population goes online everyday, compared to the 68% who said the same two years ago.
Over two thirds (67%) say they use the Internet for administrative tasks, and 61% use it for online shopping. Over half (54%) say they go online for work every single day, up from 46% who said this four years ago.
And while 81% of the population now has a computer at home, households connected to a landline have dropped by two percentage points, down to 86% nationally.
Unsurprisingly, the young are more likely to be connected at home; of those aged 12 to 17, 95% have a home computer, compared to 52% for those aged 70 or over.
In fact, the number of people who have a computer at home has actually dropped two percentage points in five years, as mobile devices become more prevalent, especially among young people.
Mobile appears king: now, 42% of the French public said they prefer to use their mobile smartphone to connect to the internet, versus 38% who prefer the desktop or laptop computer, and 7% who prefer to use a tablet.
