GOSH. NOW we know exactly who is placing the most adverts in the mobile Internet space in the UK.

It's online retail companies such as Electronic Arts, Ebay and Glu, according to M:metrics. Glu is a publisher of mobile games.

The advertising industry is desperate to break into the mobile web market because it realises that an increasing number of people – particularly the youth sector – are spending far more time on their handsets than watching a TV or listening to radio.

The missing link has been an accurate and independent means of tracking exactly what is going on and M:metrics reckons it can do just that with the UK release of its M:Ad service.

The system tracked 403 unique creative advertisements in the UK in 91 campaigns that represented 48 different companies.

39 per cent of all ads were placed by online retailers which makes sense. That sector was followed by broadcasters and cable companies with Bskyb and Channel 4 being heavy users with 29 per cent.

Bringing up the rear were the likes of computer hardware companies such as IBM and Sun but they represented a mere 0.9 per cent.

That's better than Cadbury's which accounted for just 0.3 per cent. Obviously what's needed here is a mobile version of that gorilla ad. µ

Inq factoid Phil Collins still owes Andrew Thomas a pint.