Mobile messaging services, which offer graphics and video, will prove more popular than wireless internet services in the next few years, according to a new report from In-Stat/MDR.
The research firm calculates that messaging users will increase from an estimated 305 million at the end of 2001 to more than a billion by the end of 2006. Although it is smaller than the messaging market, the wireless internet market is expanding at the same rate and will grow to 320 million subscribers in four years time.
“Going forward, the wireless internet market’s future rests largely on service pricing,” said Becky Diercks, an In-Stat/MDR director. “In most regions service pricing is completely inconsistent and far too expensive for the average consumer.”
The report also emphasises that carriers and developers have a responsibility to offer compelling applications to mobile net users if the market is to reach its full potential.
