The mobile content and services market is predicted to generate over $340 billion in end-user service revenues in 2013, up from around $183 billion in 2008.
According to a new forecast from Informa Telecoms & Media, the two most significant service categories for revenues in 2008 were mobile messaging and mobile internet, which together contributed over 80% of the total revenues.
Shailendra Pandey, senior analyst at Informa Telecoms & Media, said: “In the coming years, the area that will see the most activity and will make or break many players in the mobile content and services value chain is that of the distribution channels.
“Off-portal (direct-to-consumer) mobile content distribution is becoming common in most developed markets, and in those where it isn’t, operators are under increasing pressure to open up their user base to third parties.”
A report from Analysys Mason published last month found that the mobile broadband market will continue its rapid growth during the next five years and generate valuable new revenue streams for mobile network operators (see Mobile broadband market to continue its rapid growth).
According to the report, there will be 148 million mobile broadband connections in Europe by 2014, when they will account for almost half of all broadband connections in the region.
Research from Nielsen Online, meanwhile, found that from Q2 to Q3 2008, the number of Britons using mobile internet increased by 25% (from 5.8 to 7.3 million) compared to 3% for PC-based internet (34.3 to 35.3 million Britons) (see Increase in Britons using mobile internet).
