The iPhone is the number one mobile Internet browser in the U.S. and number two in the UK, according to statistics from StatCounter. Nokia remains number one in the UK.

StatCounter numbers for the total Internet browsing market, according to ITWire recently reported in the UK were: Nokia: 0.15 percent, iPhone: 0.06 percent, BlackBerry: 0.02 percent. If the iPod touch is included, the Apple number jumps to 0.09 percent. The data suggested, according to ITWire, that the iPhone will soon overtake Nokia in the UK.

In the U.S., the corresponding numbers are: iPhone: 0.18 percent, iPhone + iPod touch: 0.23 percent, and Nokia: 0.01 percent.

"It would appear that iPhone is more than living up to its claims of being a user friendly Internet browser, unlike many other mobile phones," said Aodhan Cullen, founder and CEO of StatCounter.

Globally, Nokia retains a strong lead with 0.25 percent compared to the iPhone’s 0.06 percent (0.08 with iPod touch). The BlackBerry is at 0.01 percent.

The data was collected from December 2007 to March 2008 with 371 million page views globally.

Now the question is whether the iPhone will continue to gain market share as a browser faster than the competition. Almost a year after the iPhone shipped, it doesn’t appear that any one mobile phone manufacturer except Nokia has solved the problem of a satisfactory browsing experience on a mobile phone. Nokia’s current advantage, its use on the faster 3G network in Europe, Nokia’s back yard, could be threatened when Apple announces its own 3G version of the iPhone.