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The number of subscribers using mobile Internet services will rise from today’s 577 million to 1.7 billion by 2013, thanks to the demand for collaborative applications known collectively as “web 2.0″ and greater 2.5/3G penetration.
Established mobile players face increasing competition from web-based brands (Google? Yahoo?) and will have to adapt their strategies to accommodate greater collaboration with other members of the value chain, if future revenue growth in the mobile web 2.0 space is to be achieved.
According to the new Juniper Research’s report titled “Mobile Web 2.0: Leveraging Location, IM, Social Web & Search 2008-2013,” the emergence of such applications as social networking, user generated content, instant messaging and location based services call for delivery of the mobile Internet as it was originally conceived – OPEN! The idea is to allow users to share, collaborate and exploit content/information without any single party controlling the value chain.
This, however, marks a fundamental shift for the industry towards the D2C (direct to consumer) model and places growing pressure on both mobile network operators and handset manufacturers to relinquish some of their control over the value chain.
The report author Ian Chard says: “Major web players have already crossed the Rubicon and established themselves in the mobile domain, placing the onus on MNOs and other members of the value chain to form innovative relationships and grab a share of the new revenue streams being created.”
However he also notes that the mobile web 2.0 market is still nascent and business models remain in a state of flux, giving time for players to establish fruitful and reciprocally beneficial partnerships.
Other findings from the report:
- The Far East and China region will be the largest market for mobile web, reaching almost 416 million users by 2013, up from 190 million users at the end of 2008.
- The greatest untapped potential for mobile web lies in South America, while growth will be more measured in markets such as Eastern and Western Europe where fixed broadband penetration is relatively high.
- As with the fixed Internet, many mobile web 2.0 applications will need to be provided at base cost/flat-data rates or even free of charge, forcing industry players to seek new revenue streams (advertising?).
More information about Juniper’s report is available on their 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.
