The study – which covers 13 countries including the USA – shows that around 86% of mobile phone or Internet users in the UK are "unaware" of or feel "poorly informed" about wireless Internet technology. This compares with 89% in the US but just 77% in Italy and 56% in Germany.

In addition, there would appear to be only limited interest in using wireless Internet technology amongst interviewees in the UK. On a scale of 1-6 (with "6" representing high interest), the average interest score across all 13 markets surveyed was just over 3, with the score in the UK just slightly less at 2.9.

At the same time, mobile phone users across those European markets surveyed, including the UK, indicated that they would be more interested in using wireless Internet services to authorise a payment or for undertaking banking or other m-commerce activities than in the US.

Amongst those users who are very interested in wireless Internet services, the most popular "killer applications" are "receiving and sending e-mails" and "accessing city maps…(or)… the latest news". However, existing Internet users of e-mail boxes are less interested in accessing this service via UMTS.

According to Rose Hall, Associate Director, Taylor Nelson Sofres Telecoms, "Clearly, potential users of 3G services in many European markets such as the UK - as well as the US - are already users of mobile phones and the Internet. However, these findings suggest that providers of wireless Internet services have a considerable task to raise awareness of the range and benefits of those services amongst potential users before they are launched. WAP has had only limited success, and the challenge for the industry in all markets will be convincing customers that wireless Internet access can offer something significantly new - and different - from what is already available."

The Taylor Nelson Sofres (UMTS) Monitor was undertaken via telephone and face-to-face interviews with a representative sample of 13,058 people, 15+ years old, who own a mobile phone and/or have access to the Internet across 12 European countries and the USA in April and May 2001. As well as looking at awareness of UMTS, the study also assesses Internet and mobile phone usage amongst respondents.