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| Emerging trends in mobile usage |
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| " Good days ahead for advertisers, app developers, handset brands, operators and consumers" |
 In the past, consumers would to purchase mobile phones based on the built-in features that came standard with the handsets. With the arrival of smartphone operating systems -- capable of running third-party applications -- consumers are freed from the phone maker's confines. They are able to customise their devices with powerful applications tailored to their needs. This has ushered in a new era of enhanced functionality in mobile phones making them go beyond being simple means of communication to being an inherent part of one's lifestyle.
Connecting With Freedom
Future mobile trends point to a widening of this segment, with third-party applications breaking into the mainstream mobile market and even breaking through to many lower priced handsets. Inspired by the success, mobile phone makers have eagerly jumped into the market, opening their own propriety application stores with music, games and chat being the most popular ones. Application developers have also embraced the market, resulting in the creation of thousands of new applications for mobile devices.
The wide availability of applications has given consumers a free range on multiple-mobile usage. A recent study by Informate Mobile Intelligence revealed that mobile users spend 15-20 minutes on messaging activities while 40-45 minutes are spent on entertainment where users listen to minimum 2-3 songs per day and click 15-18 photos in a month. The study also revealed that card and puzzle categories are the most favoured among gamers in India.
There are around 4 billion mobile phones in the world -- four times the number of PCs. The global revenue potential of these devices is significant -- around $4.5 billion in advertising revenues and $25 billion in applications sales by 2013. Those who stand to benefit from these revenues include advertisers, applications developers, handset brands and carriers.The growth in Mobile Value Added Services (MVAS) has also given birth to a new entity -- content aggregators, who put together content originally designed for some other media. Some content aggregators also develop content especially for mobile phones. On one hand they coordinate with operators and on the other, with content owners and smaller aggregators. Another key role played by them is handling of issues related to Intellectual Property Rights (IPR), thus reducing the burden of mobile operators.
Challenges Ahead
The telecom sector has always faced challenges in terms of regulations and network speed. But with the expected launch of 3G next year, there is a chance that for many Indians their first taste of the Web will be through mobile phones. However, the costs will be prohibitive for a majority of consumers. So, until 3G networks and handsets are fully rolled out and become affordable, the user experience is likely to be uninspiring. But the growth of the mobile sector will continue to attract publishers, developers, animators, musicians, content providers and also stimulate the development of innovative business models. One such model could be the Ad Funded Mobile Entertainment wherein advertisers could get a platform to target consumers in a highly effective way and the consumers would benefit through free content.
Emerging trends in mobile usage
Mr Kedar Sohoni, president, Informate Mobile
Intelligence Pvt. Ltd. (Disclaimer: the views and
opinions expressed in this article are those of
the author and do not reflect the stance
of the magazine)
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