–Mobile data information company Mobidia says that LTE subscribers are using “dramatically larger amounts of data than 3G subscribers.” The company has an LTE user panel that includes millions of subscribers on which it bases its data.
In Hong Kong, for example, the company said that LTE subscribers used nearly 100% more data than 3G subscribers, on average, during the first four months of this year.
LTE subs in the U.S., South Korea and Japan led the world in monthly data usage per subscriber, with close to 3 GB per month of LTE data usage. In South Korea, users consumed more than 12 GB per month when both cellular and Wi-Fi usage were included.
—ABI Research says that the location-based services market “continues to grow strongly and … is ready to truly support location-based advertising efforts.”
ABI said that a third generation of LBS is underway in Western markets, with data-based ambient intelligence, “hyperlocal social and personal asset tracking” via beacon, and forecast retail/shopping applications emerging as the important new applications. ABI expects that revenues in the LBS segment will grow four-fold by 2019.
Asia is also seen as a significant LBS market, with LBS downloads predicted to exceed 4 billion in 2019, and acquisitions and investments actively taking place now. Contrary to previous LBS app trends, ABI expects to see Asian LBS players expand into the international market as well.
“In China, major Internet companies can see the necessity of location and are acquiring/integrating as they move to mobile,” said Patrick Connolly, senior analyst for ABI Research.
 —Opera will acquire mobile video ad company AdColony for an expected $245 million price, including earn-outs based on what the company called “ambitious” revenue targets. Opera also raised its guidance based on the purchase. AdColony works with major brands and delivers video ads across many of the most popular iOS and Android smartphone and tablet apps, and offers analytics for monetization and optimization. Read the full story here.
–Manufacturing business process company Plex is adding mobile access to business intelligence (BI) analytics. The company’s PlexMobile offering on iOS and Android devices now includes access to analytics dashboards and reports from the manufacturing supply chain or business operations.
