Keep in mind there are ton of mobile apps that do things that shouldn't require web access. I'm often in areas with spotty coverage, yet still need to use some of the following:

  camera apps
  flashlight
  calculators
  document editors / todos
  games

It seems like in these debates people are confusing HTML based browsers with internet connectivity. Internet connectivity is all that matters. The hypertext web browser, on smartphones, is looking rather obsolete from a performance standpoint.