DALLAS—Wireless carriers will likely miss out on a key data-revenue opportunity at this summer’s World Cup tournament in Germany, according to SmartTrust.
The mobile device management company estimates spectators will capture 4.5 million images on camera phones during the four-week event, but fewer than 1 million of those pictures would be sent via multimedia messaging service. Pricing and interoperability—particularly when roaming—are expected to cause many users to wait to transfer images to a PC and mail them to friends and family, the company said.
The forecast is based on Mobile Trends, a survey the company released late last year that indicated a photo taken with a camera phone has a 30 percent chance of being forwarded via MMS and generating revenue for a carrier.
“Despite the popularity of the camera phone, we know that there are barriers to MMS usage,” said Tim De Luca-Smith, SmartTrust’s communications manager. “It’s too easy to chalk it down to cost alone; we know customers are willing to pay for mobile services that the value. Instead, there needs to be a combination of simplicity and transparency, especially for those looking to make the most of their handset when overseas.”
