More than 8m people downloaded Firefox 3 in the first 24 hours of release

"Thanks to the support of the always amazing Mozilla community, we now hold a Guinness World Record for the most software downloaded in 24 hours. From 18:16 UTC on June 17, 2008 to 18:16 UTC on June 18, 2008, 8,002,530 people downloaded Firefox 3 and are now enjoying a safer, smarter and better Web.
Ever since Firefox was launched in 2004 we've relied on our community to help us spread the word, and thanks to projects including crop circles, newspaper ads, giant stickers, videos, blogs and more we now have over 180 million users in more than 230 countries.
Source: Firefox statement, June 2008

Approximately 80% of mobile phones on sale in the UK are web capable

"Here are the figures: over Ireland and UK operators there is a choice of more than 120 unique different handsets, for a total of nearly 280 choices.
Of this total:
82% are fully mobile web capable and should give a good user experience (like a Nokia 6300, Samsung E840, Sony-Ericsson W580i)
17% are capable but limited by screen size or poor software. (e.g. Sony-Ericsson W375, Nokia 3110)
1% are not capable, and anyway only available in pay-as-you-go and not targeted for web users. (e.g. Motorola W208, Nokia 1200) "
Source: MobiForge.com, June 2008

Japan has about 25% of the global mobile handset market by value

"About 25% of the global cellphone market in terms of cash value is in Japan. - Why? Japanese users want a lot more functions (navigation, mobile payment, QR code, mobile shopping, mobile music and video, mobile TV, ...), and are happy to pay much more per phone. Japan is a totally different game: while NOKIA has about 40% of global market, NOKIA's marketshare in Japan is almost zero."
Source: Eurotechnology Japan, 4th June 2008

Online advertising accounts for more than 10% of all ad spend in 7 European markets

"Online advertising accounted for at least 10 percent of overall advertising spending in Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden and the UK, the report said.
Norwegian Internet users were the most expensive to target, with advertisers spending 133.20 euros per consumer reached, compared with the European average of 80.60 euros. In the United States, the average was 91.90 euros per person.
The sectors investing most in online advertising were entertainment and leisure, telecoms, and finance and insurance."
Source: Reuters, 2nd June 2008, citing data from the IAB/PWC

63% of rural homes in the UK have broadband, compared to 57% of urban ones

"The regulator's regional communications market report shows that 59% of rural households have broadband compared to 57% of urban homes.
It is the first time that the country has overtaken the town, according to the report.
Four years ago urban dwellers were twice as likely to have broadband as those living in the country. "
Source: BBC, 21st May 2008, citing OFCOM research

UK online advertising revenues hit £2.8bn in 2007

"In 2007, online revenues rose £797m like-for-like, to reach £2.8bn. The rise represented a slowdown from growth of 41% in 2006 and 66% in 2005 but it outstripped the IAB's forecasts of 35%. That prediction was already ahead of most other forecasts, said the trade group."
Source: The Guardian, 8th April 2008, citing PwC/IAB

UK eCommerce spend reached €18.5bn in 2007

"The UK is well ahead of its European counterparts when it comes to online shopping, with sales reaching €18.5bn (£12.8bn) last year, according to Mintel. The company analysed internet retailing across five countries including the UK, Germany and France. Germany was the second biggest online spender with sales reaching €13bn (£12.8bn) last year. Meanwhile France (€7bn, £5.6bn), Italy (€1.1bn, £874m) and Spain (€1bn, £794m) lagged behind the two biggest markets"
Source: Mintel, cited by NMA, 31st March 2008