The value of presence based mobile Web 2.0 services are expected to increase to more than $6bn by 2012, driven by mobile VoIP and instant messaging, according to a new report from Juniper Research.
The firm said that the increasing smartphone penetration in developed markets, allied to rising global usage of both on-net and off-net mobile IM (instant messaging) will help drive this trend.
Web 2.0 services have been the catalyst for renewed growth in the mobile industry. It comprises of SMS-based presence (alerts) and server-based presence services; geolocation services that enable users to share location details with other users, third-parties or applications; and social web including social networking sites, user generated content, and sub-categories including blogs and dating.
However, the report found that monetising Mobile Web 2.0 services was still posing a challenge across the mobile value chain. Nevertheless, opportunities exist for service providers across a range of business models, ranging from subscription-based services to ad-funded offerings. Revenues from presence-based services were almost derived from operator-billed mobile IM accounts.
Juniper said that mobile VoIP traffic has been constrained by the need for higher speed networks such as 3G or HSPA in order to provide the quality of service required.
In addition, many operators have historically sought to block VoIP services in order to protect their voice revenues. The firm said that both these issues will begin to ease as mobile broadband becomes more prevalent and new operator business models facilitate the inclusion of VoIP services.
Ian Chard, report author, said: “Since the use of IP delivers lower-cost calling rates, for international calls in particular, then as 3G service adoption gradually becomes more prevalent there is likely to be a marked migration of voice traffic across to mobile VoIP.”
