Google is seeing an upsurge in search requests from mobile phone users, a powerful sign that the new era of mobile internet use may have finally arrived. Product manager for Google Mobile, Matt Waddell, said that several factors were fuelling the growth.
He said that many mobile phones had improved browsing facilities and Google itself had improved the mobile web experience by speeding up its mobile services on selected models.

Mobile service providers, he added, were also giving customers more incentive to use the internet facilities by increasing the availability of flat-rate data packages.The search giant is offering a new plug-in software download that will enable phones supporting the Microsoft Windows Mobile software to access Google searches more quickly and conveniently.It follows similar software recently introduced to BlackBerry users and some Nokia phones that has reduced search times by 40%. And users have responded by using the service more, with Waddell saying that the number of Google searches had increased by 20%.

The launch of the Apple iPhone – which, unlike many phones, provides fully featured web browsing – had, according to Google, also given more impetus to the growth in mobile internet. Waddell said Google was getting around 50 times more search requests from iPhone users compared with those using phones with just the standard features.

There is a warning however that whilst data access speeds increase and the hardware improves, the cost of data over mobile networks can prove expensive to those without fixed packages. For mobile data whilst "roaming" in another country, the cost can be eye watering.