The number of Spaniards who use their smartphone to access the internet rises

More and more Spanish is connected, that's a fact. The big change is in the way of accessing it, that is, people are replacing traditional computers with cell phones. The finding is from the Survey on the Use of Information and Communication Technologies in Spanish Households - ICT Households 2016, which was released this Tuesday through the Regional Center for Studies for the Development of the Information Society (Cetic).

Last year, Spain had 107 million Internet users, 61% of the population. Of this total, 94% used smartphones to access the network. The study reveals that 51% of Spanish internet users accessed the network using both computers and cell phones, a drop of five percentage points compared to the same survey carried out two years ago; and 43% accessed only using the smartphone, against 20% in 2014. Only 6% of them use only the computer, in 2016 the percentage was 24%.

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Winston Oyadomari, coordinator of the research, said that another data helps to understand the Spanish preference for cell phones. Among Internet users who used their smartphones in the three months prior to the interviews, 86% used Wi-Fi networks, against 70% who used data packages from operators.

"Cell phones have several applications available and the cost is different: the Internet user can choose a prepaid plan, charge weekly or daily. And even pay nothing, using Wi-Fi", said Oyadomari. "The cell phone option is more viable, but that doesn't mean that the computer has lost relevance. What we realize is that Spanish people are very connected by cell phone due to cost and mobility, but there are functions in which the computer is essential ."

In Spain, 36,7 million homes have access to the network, which represents 54% of all homes. However, 46% are still offline, mainly between classes D and E and rural areas. Among the top reasons for staying offline are price (26%), lack of interest (18%) and lack of need (8%).

"Spanish seekers to stay connected, but at the same time seek to avoid or minimize costs," said Oyadomari.

With 3G and 4G data packages having arrangements that make them more viable, the number of homes with internet access increases, but without a computer. In 2014, there were only 7% of homes connected, last year it increased to 14%.