There’s an interesting article on Guardian, suggesting that in terms of revenues generated from content, mobile is already far bigger than Web — and that’s before music and mobile TV took off in a big way. Revenues from the web are estimated at about $25bn, while according to Informa, mobile content is already worth $31bn.
As an example of just how successful mobile content is, author of the article cites strategy consultant Tomi Ahonen, who reminds us that in 2005 one annoying ringtone, Crazy Frog, outsold all of iTunes.
The philosophy with mobile is completely different. While on the Web you can get many things for free, in mobile world you will end up paying at least for a data transfer (if you’re not on the still-expensive unlimited data plan). Mobile phones arrive with a payment system pre-installed for calls, followed by a premium service for texting, and right from the start users were charged for data services and downloads.
However, with the advancements in network infrastructure and the release of next generation networks (4G), things could change. With the increase in mobile web usage, we could see more and more designed-for-mobile web sites, as well as new innovative services, some of them free to use, supported by ads. The competition should do the rest — i.e. want someone to visit your site/service – offer something for free. Check out the whole story on Guardian.