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June 29, 2008

The overall number of subscribers using MIS (Mobile Internet Services) is expected to surpass 1.7 billion in less than five years from now, rising from about 577.2 million users as of April 30, according to a report from Juniper Research.

The research firm says the growth will be triggered by demand for collaborative applications known as Web 2.0 and a much broader 2.5/3G penetration in most markets.

Ian Chard, Juniper Research analyst said “already, many major Internet players have already embarked on the bandwagon and established themselves in the mobile domain, placing the onus on mobile network operators and other members of the value chain to form innovative relationships and grab a share of the new revenue streams being created.”

He added “the mobile Web 2.0 market is still nascent and most business models remain in a state of flux, so there’s still some time left for players to establish fruitful partnerships that build on their strengths and are reciprocally beneficial. However, the window of opportunity is closing, and closing very fast in some cases.”

Juniper's survey contends that with this kind of growth, established mobile players face increasing pressure from Internet-based brands, and that wireless carriers and handset manufacturers will have to adapt commercial strategies to accommodate greater collaboration in order to take full advantage of future revenue growth.

The research firm also said that the emergence of applications such as social networking, user-generated content, location based services and mobile search services call for a more open environment in which users are able to share, collaborate and exploit content/information without any one party controlling the value chain in any way.

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Source: Juniper Research.