Busy mums lose 133 hours a year by not being technology-savvy, according to Three.

# Access to mobile internet could save mums 5.5 days a year
# 30 per cent of mums don’t know what a smartphone is
# 53 per cent of mums with babies struggle to find time to sit down at their computer to go online

Despite a raft of new technology and time-saving gadgets, British mums are still missing out on the benefits that mobile internet can bring. A third of mums (30 per cent) surveyed don’t know what a smartphone is, yet over half (52 per cent) realise that there are significant benefits of being able to access the internet while on the go.

Mobile internet provider Three and Bounty Parenting Club have partnered to help mums get online while on the move and find new and useful ways to use smartphones. Despite being constantly busy, the average mum spends an hour and a half on the internet each day (92 minutes) but over a third (39 per cent) find it hard to get time to sit down at their computer.

Access to mobile internet assists with organisation and time efficiencies, providing immediate access to maps, internet search, emails, synced calendars, as well as useful and entertaining apps.

Key findings from Three’s Mobile Mums research show that;

- Access to mobile internet could save mums 22 minutes a day

- Only a third of mums (33 per cent) are using mobile internet to help them stay connected

- With no time to sit at a computer to go online during the day, more than a third (39 per cent) of mums are driven to late-night surfing

Three’s Mobile Mum and Dragon’s Den success story Kirsty Henshaw says: “I’ve recently realised the full potential of my smartphone and the blessings of mobile internet. Being a busy mum and young entrepreneur, I’m constantly looking for ways to be more time efficient. Being able to email and manage my diary when away from the computer, use Google maps to save me from getting lost on the way to meetings and not have to be in front of my computer to access Facebook when up in the middle of the night with my son is a lifesaver.”

Young Mums like Kirsty (24 years) are leading the mobile internet charge with nearly half of all 16-24 year old Mums already making use of smartphones to log on to the internet when out and about. In contrast, less than a fifth of mothers aged 35 or older use mobile internet.

Sylvia Chind, 36 year old mother of two and head of branded devices at Three, said “I know first-hand just how helpful mobile internet can be for mums. It’s a great time saver, entertainer and general helping hand when things get frantic.

“My friends and I all regularly use Google maps to check where we’re taking the kids to ensure our day runs smoothly. We’ve also managed to save a lot of time by shopping while out and about through apps like Ocado.

“Three’s Mobile Mums research clearly marks mobile internet as an underused opportunity for mums. As the UKs biggest 3G network which was built for mobile internet, Three hopes to help mums choose a smartphone and a data plan that best meets their needs.”

When mums do find time to go online, keeping in touch and planning their family’s day is top of most mums’ agendas. With access to mobile internet, mums anticipate they would use it for:

Activity | Use by mums

Emails | 86%

Facebook & Twitter | 60%

Checking maps / getting directions | 60%

Browsing | 43%

Online banking | 42%

Online shopping | 38%

Reading the news | 37%

Findings activities for the children | 35%

Looking for recipes when cooking | 27%

Faye Mingo, spokeswoman for parenting club Bounty.com, which conducted the research said: “Women feel more empowered if they can sort out their own problems and the internet makes this possible. They feel more confident in their ability to look after their children if armed with information, and often the best kind of advice can be given by people who have been through similar experiences. Accessing mobile internet on smartphones is a great way to make this more readily available.”

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

*Three Mobile Mums research was conducted by Bounty.com on behalf of Three in October 2010 by 999 British mums.


* About Three UK

Three is a communications company focused on bringing the benefits of the internet to mobile communications. To do this we’re building the UK’s biggest high-speed mobile broadband network.

* Three facts about Three:

- Three launched the UK’s first 3G network offering national coverage for calls and texts, and has over 97.3% population coverage for 3G services. As we consolidate our radio access network with T-Mobile we expect to reach almost complete UK population coverage for 3G by the end of 2010.

- Three has more than 6.2 million active customers in the UK and over 28 million worldwide.

- Three is the UK market leader for mobile broadband, and came first in the two most recent YouGov surveys of mobile broadband customers.