Internet use continues to increase in Finland

Internet is more and more present in everyday situations: more people are online during commuting, in a checkout queue, and even on a lunch break.  Especially older target groups (age group 55+) are using the Internet more than before. Young respondents feel that they are online almost all the time.

– The study shows that Internet access is a significant factor in everyday life in Finland. ”Internet is used increasingly for communication, following the news and for entertainment”, states Pekka Väisänen, Vice President, Consumer Business, DNA.

The use of Internet services has increased the most on a tablet, but also the use of Internet on smart phones has continued to increase slightly.

Currently, 33 per cent of the respondents have a tablet, whereas in 2013, the figure was 18 per cent. According to the study, tablet devices are still mostly used to browse the Internet, videos and watch television programmes; videos and television programmes increased the use of online services the most. This year, 86 per cent of the respondents who use a tablet said that they browse the Internet on a tablet (in 2013, the corresponding figure was 90 per cent), 51 per cent said they watch videos (in 2013, the corresponding figure was 44 per cent), and 39 per cent said they watch television programmes on their tablet (last year, the corresponding figure was 34 per cent).

– Videos are the most popular online content. Currently, the majority of data transfer in the mobile telecommunication network already consists of videos, and their share still continues to increase. “A significant part of videos are already HD videos”, says Väisänen.

Tablets are extremely fast to use and they also have high-quality displays for browsing and watching online content. With the help of the 4G network, the joys and benefits of a tablet are also available on the road in addition to home and other fixed WLAN hotspots. For example, Finns were able to watch the most nail-biting moments in Sochi also while travelling by train or car thanks to tablets and the 4G network.

The popularity of videos and their improved technical quality put a strain on both the equipment and the network. Sharp images, quick motion and rich sound are transmitted on a full-scale, when high-quality 4G LTE network is available and the device is equipped with a 4G compatible connection. Communication and reading news articles can also easily be done with 3G transfer rates.

Communication and maps still the top applications

Over 80 per cent of Finns who own a smart phone say that they also use applications. Last year, the corresponding figure was 60 per cent. Social media and communication applications are used the most. In Finland, also news applications are popular. Twitter and Instagram, which are extremely popular internationally, are not among the most popular applications in Finland.

The study shows that Facebook, Google Maps and YouTube are the most popular applications. Facebook and Google Maps have been downloaded by 65% of the users and YouTube by 63%. The top three most often used applications include the communication applications Facebook, WhatsApp and Gmail. 26% of the users use Facebook several times a day, 17% use WhatsApp and 14% use Gmail. 

*) DNA's Digital content consumer study was carried out by Add Value Research Finland Oy. In January 2014, 1,006 Finns participated in the study through an online panel. The study creates an overall picture of everyday usage habits of digital content in Finland.

Further information:
Pekka Väisänen, Vice President, Consumer Business, DNA Ltd, tel. +358 (0)44 040 0168, pekka.vaisanen@dna.fi
DNA Corporate Communications, tel. +358 44 044 8000, viestinta@dna.fi