BOSTON—Mobile instant messaging could grow to a $2 billion market in Western Europe and North America by 2010, according to a new report from Strategy Analytics Inc.
Both IT-sanctioned and rogue use of mobile IM are set to grow significantly, said the report. Drivers for the market include lower-cost QWERTY smart phones, new IMS core networks and a growing dependence on IM among employees ready to enter the work force.
“We see wireless IM as the new data challenger to voice’s exclusive to date on real-time mobile communications,” said Cliff Raskind, director of Wireless Enterprise Strategies at Strategy Analytics. “The inefficiencies of a decade of ‘hiding’ behind store and forward messaging are catching up with the business world, and managers well-versed in organizational behavior are starting to realize that the high cost of inbox hygiene or playing excessive ‘phone tag’ often make e-mail and voicemail ineffective communication channels.
“Presence-enabled services including IM and SIP-based voice will allow better coordination and control of highly effective interactive real-time communications, while reigning in their often intrusive nature,” said Raskind.
