Mobile data revenues to hit $8.3 Bn by 2013

By siliconindia   |   Friday, 25 July 2008, 00:02 IST
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Hampshire: Indian subcontinent market for rich-media content and services will take a new turn by 2013 with the support of growth in games, mobile TV and full-track downloads. A new report from Juniper Research states that the rich-media content and services market will push operator-billed data revenues in the Indian Sub Continent from $3 billion in 2008 to more than $8.3 billion by 2013. By the end of the projected period, apart from ringtones, which is the most current lucrative service across the region, games, mobile TV and full-track downloads would all constitute substantial revenue streams by the end of the forecast period, with mobile browsing revenues continuing to climb steadily. According to report author Dr Windsor Holden, "With the limited availability and relatively high cost of fixed broadband Internet across the sub continent, the mobile handset has become the de facto means of accessing Internet services. Regional operators were among the first to realise that low data pricing was central to encouraging service adoption, and it has paid dividends for them." The report also observed that growth would be further bolstered as 3G networks were deployed, although noting that in India, 3G services were now unlikely to be launched until 2009. As per the reports, the Indian Sub Continent mobile user base is expected to rise from 431 million in 2008 to nearly 740 million in 2013. The detailed report provides in-depth coverage and forecasts for the five Indian Sub Continent markets (Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka). It also includes regional overviews for key revenue drivers including mobile advertising, mobile entertainment services, mobile financial services and mobile ticketing.