LONDON-The global wireless industry is expected grow mobile data revenue from $61 billion this year to more than $189 billion by 2009 with person-to-person messaging representing 48 percent of the total, according to industry analyst firm Strategy Analytics.
The firm noted the prediction, which is part of its Wireless Internet Applications Service, has increased since its last forecast due to faster-than-expected penetration of “rich feature sets into devices, and growing evidence that demand for various types of content is being converted into usage.”
“Mobile data services are currently undergoing a period of strong growth as a result of carrier strategies, many of which were implemented in late 2002 and 2003, that have succeeded in establishing a strong base for consumer demand,” explained David Kerr, vice president of Strategy Analytics’ global wireless practice. “These include better marketing, lower data prices, greater services availability, faster transmission speeds, richer handset features and more intuitive user interfaces.”
Kerr added that video and audio infotainment services would increasingly supplement currently strong performing applications like ring tones and download games once higher-speed network launches increase. In addition, music and media and sports content would be the leading drivers of the $52 billion in revenues expected to be generated by entertainment applications in 2009.
The company noted that despite the increased interest in more advanced data services, basic short message service will still account for 26 percent of data revenues in 2009.
