Driven by the next wave of apps and services like Presence, Geolocation and Social Web, revenues from mobile access to Web 2.0 apps and services will be worth US$18.9bn, analysts have forecast.
Presence-enabled communities, such as mobile voice over IP (VoIP), will be the primary market driver, followed by rapid growth in the social web – which encompasses social networking, user-generated content (UGC) and mobile dating, chat and professional applications, according to Juniper Research.
Geolocation will also be an important enabler, and is forming part of an increasing number of Web 2.0 mobile mash-up service offerings.
The mobile social web report from Juniper found that despite pricing models and monetisation of Web 2.0 presenting a significant challenge for many online service providers, numerous opportunities exist in the mobile market based around advertising, messaging, premium services and virtual economies, coupled with the strategic micro-billing capability of mobile.
Although there are significant revenue opportunities for players across the service delivery chain, the size and complexity of the Web 2.0 mobile market should not be underestimated. There are multiple routes to market, and there is fragmentation at all levels.
“A confluence of Web 2.0 concepts and end-user behaviour exploiting both the web and the mobile phone as delivery platforms is driving mobile web adoption and shaping industry development,” says report author Ian Chard.
“Yet the distinction between service-provider roles is becoming less clear cut, meaning some commercial allies are finding themselves increasingly polarised as the market progresses,” Chard said.
By John Kennedy
Photo: Google’s Nexus One mobile phone
