Mobile internet is fast becoming a viable way for advertisers and publishers to reach important demographic groups, it has been claimed.

New research carried out by Nielsen Online has revealed that the number of Britons using mobile internet from quarter two to quarter three of this year increased by 25 per cent compared to a three per cent increase of those using PC-based internet.

Mobile internet has a higher concentration of users aged 15 to 24 than PC-based internet.

Nielsen Senior Analyst Kent Ferguson said the most popular mobile sites, including BBC News, BBC Weather, Sky Sports and Gmail, have a greater reach on the mobile platform than they do on PC.

He added: "This highlights the advantage of mobile when it comes to immediacy, people often need fast, instant access to weather or sports news and mobile can obviously satisfy this, wherever they are."

Meanwhile, a survey conducted by private equity firm Halyard Capital showed that nearly two-thirds of respondents said they expected the mobile platform to experience faster growth than social networking.

Along with social networking, the mobile platform is expected to produce greater returns on investment over the next few years despite the economic crisis.