Disqus
It’s kinda obvious mobile social networks are set for growth and will/want to follow the path of their “desktop predecessors.” According to Informa’s latest report entitled “Mobile Social Networking: Communities and Content on the Move,” the number of mobile social networking users exceeded 50 million, approximately 2.3% of the global mobile user population on December 31st, 2007. Some of these users were registered in multiple mobile communities, though.
The research company argues that with only low investments from mobile network operators, the growth in users and community registrations will continue at a CAGR of 30-50%, depending on the type of community and the region. By 2012, there will be between 12.5% penetration of mobile social networks among mobile users globally in the most conservative scenario, approximately 23% in the high growth scenario.
In 2006, mobile social networks made more than US$1.5 billion and that amount more than doubled in 2007. The revenue growth will accelerate in the next two years but after that point, much depends on mobile network operators’ policies and the interests of users. By 2012 revenues generated from all business models in this industry is forecast to reach US$28.9 billion in the most conservative scenario and $52 billion in the high growth scenario.
Entertainment community segment revenues will overtake in some regions in 2010, but other community segments — like those focused on productivity, fame and social shopping — are beginning to emerge on mobile platforms, diversifying the offers and attracting different kind of users… More information is available from Informa’s website.
About The Author
Dusan Belic
Dusan has been using smartphones since their introduction and is now following the latest trends in the industry. The "convergence" is what he's most excited about, and writing about it is the next logical thing to do. He thinks that using a smartphone is what everyone who cares about their time should do. In addition to his interests in mobile phones, Dusan also loves to experiment with the latest web and mobile 2.0 services. The idea of accessing and managing your information from any device no matter where you are simply amazes him. Whether it's an online to-do list, note taking service or a video sharing social network, he's there to try it out. He admits though, he's still searching for the ultimate web-based organizational tool, which "sings" perfectly with the mobile PIM application. Dusan used to run SymbianWatch.com which later became part of IntoMobile. He lives in Serbia, South-East Europe, from where he edits the site on a daily basis.
