ComScore: Mobile Internet Traffic in Japan Spikes After Quake, Tsunami

Already big users of the mobile Web, Japanese citizens have relied on their cell phone Internet connections in the wake of last week’s massive earthquake and tsunami.

In a blog post, comScore noted that just after the March 11 earthquake, there was a spike in traffic from both PCs and mobile users, but that over the next few days, the increase shifted mainly to mobile devices. Japan, it notes, is the country with the highest rate of mobile media use, with three-quarters of cell phone owners using various mobile media.

“In the wake of the disaster, with those who were stranded unable to use computers to get information or rely on landlines to communicate with loved ones, mobile media use in Japan saw an increase,” comScore said in a blog post.

Mobile traffic was up even when taking into account typical weekend usage patterns and the fact that some cellular services were interrupted following the quake.