Almost a fifth of mobile phone users worldwide have downloaded content to their phones, with a new study by LogicaCMG predicting a 60% increase in the technology in one year’s time.
The research was conducted globally during May and June 2005, with the findings leading LogicaCMG to forecast the mobile content industry to bring in multi-billion dollar revenues by 2006.
Respondents in the Asia-Pacific region were found to be the most enthusiastic about advanced mobile functions, with almost three-quarters of users surveyed in the region expecting to be downloading ringtones to their phone in the next twelve months, compared to 27% of North American mobile phone users, 25% of South America and 20% of respondents in Europe.
Mobile users in the Asia-Pacific region are similarly ahead with other content, such as images, screensavers, music, games and sports clips.
The only type of data accessed roughly equally in all regions are full feature length films, though North America falls a bit behind the crowd, with just 3% of users expecting to download this content in 12 months time, compared to 8-11% in other regions.
On a global basis, ringtones, music and games were found to be the most popular types of downloaded mobile content.
According to mobile measurement company, M:Metrics, while roughly one-third of respondents have used their phones to send or receive text messages, only a few engage in more advanced functions like downloading ringtones, sending pictures or downloading games (see Multi Use Of Mobile Handsets).
Mobile phone companies are deepening the mobile content they offer to users, with operators and advertisers becoming aware of the different channels with which they can reach their audience.
Mobile television is once such medium being explored. Research experts and mobile service providers are predicting that the new technology will increase its penetration rate over the next few years.
A report in May, by research company Frost & Sullivan, forecast the mobile phone arena to receive substantial investment from service providers, predicting mobile service revenues to increase to over $1.5 billion by 2009, up from just $28.8 million in 2004 (see Mobile Service Providers To Deepen Mobile Content).
NTL Broadcast, now named Arqiva, and O2 have also entered into the mobile broadcast arena, announcing plans to test the televisual capabilities of the next generation of mobile phones, with BSkyB, Chart TV Show, Discovery Networks Europe, Shorts International and Turner Broadcasting among the first broadcasters to provide 16 television channels to customers with Nokia’s new 7710 handset (see NTL And O2 Start First Mobile TV Trials).
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