Over the past three years, the mobile industry has seen a dramatic shake-up at every level, from phones to services. Apple has launched the iPhone, iPad and AppStore, Google introduced Android, and HTC has transformed from outsourcer to pioneering device maker.
Emerging markets will drive the growth of global mobile value-added-service (VAS) revenues from $200bn in 2009 to $340bn in 2014. With China, India, Indonesia, South Africa, Nigeria, Egypt, Turkey, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Russia, Poland and the Ukraine expected to account for 36 per cent of such revenues at the end of the forecast period.
Carriers’ online service purchasing mechanisms are apparently not as advanced as consumers might think. OSS and BSS industry sources are suggesting that as few as 10 to 15 percent of wireless carriers worldwide have an end-to-end e-commerce solution as part of their web presence.
Benoit Jouffrey, VP of digital life management at value added service provider Gemalto, talks about user generated digital content and enabling consumer services across a wide range of devices.
During the opening keynotes for the GSM>3G Middle East Telco World Summit recently, it became apparent that some of the heaviest hitters in the Middle Eastern region are looking to mobile data and other value added services (VAS) to stimulate future growth. Yet this drive will be powered by content because the regional operators are refusing to become so called ‘bit pipes’.
Value added services such as music subscription and online storage have the ability to provide fixed line carriers around the world with an opportunity to reduce churn and increase customer loyalty, at a time of intense competition.
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