Mobile web usage tipped to boom

26/06/2008

Marketers may want to take notice of a new study suggesting that mobile internet usage is set to explode in the next few years.

According to Juniper Research, mobile internet user numbers around the world will surge from 577 million at present to 1.7 billion by 2013, thanks to increasing demand for Web 2.0 applications, as well as the rollout of 2.5G and 3.5G networks.

Growth in social networking, user-generated content, instant messaging, location-based services and online search means that a more open environment is needed to help mobile users share data and collaborate with other without a single organisation being in control, Juniper Research added.

"The mobile Web 2.0 market is still nascent and business models remain in a state of flux, so there is still time for players to establish fruitful partnerships that build on their strengths and are reciprocally beneficial," remarked Ian Chard of Juniper Research.

He added: "The window of opportunity, however, is closing."

A recent Research and Markets report suggested that growing mobile uptake is resulting in an increasing number of digital marketers having to change their business models and expand their service offerings.