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With mobile apps (and app stores) gaining ground in the emerging markets of Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, South and Central America and Africa – the telecoms analyst firm Ovum predicts that smartphone penetration will dramatically increase from 2013.
According to Ovum, operators regard app stores as a key factor in growing their subscriber bases and driving network traffic. What’s more, the availability of low-cost Android, RIM and Nokia smartphones will see app stores becoming an increasingly important element of the distribution chain.
Device and OS vendors want to establish themselves as the leading providers of apps in emerging markets, but mobile operators want that too, especially in countries such as China, India, Brazil and other parts of South Africa. The reason is simple – smartphone users are attractive targets for emerging market operators as they are early adopters and typically have a higher disposable income than average consumers.
However, it’s also worth pointing out that the majority of applications in emerging markets are free or low cost as consumers have shown an unwillingness to pay for applications…
[Via: Cellular-News]
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.
