Leverage on operators’ existing capabilities to generate more revenue from your application store, mobile social media, mobile commerce and cloud-based mobile applications

Industry analysts believe that mobile data services revenue totalled $314.7 billion in 2011, a 22.5 percent increase from 2010 revenue of $257 billion.

But what could have been the reason behind this growth?

Iqbal Siraj, Head of New Products & Services for Malaysia’s U-Mobile says that evolution of the mobile from a communications device to an entertainment device is the key.

“Today the mobile is the transforming from a voice communications tool to into the user’s personal assistant and entertainment device. The customer is looking for services that can help him stay on top of an increasingly fast changing environment, services such as news, games and entertainment delivered as streaming TV/SMS/MMS via on the mobile are required to ensure that the mobile customer’s information and entertainment needs are satisfied. Many a time I see parents entertaining their young children by providing them their phone to keep them occupied and entertained, as these children grow and mature we will only see these trends grow to the point where everyone expects all things to be accessible via the mobile,” he said.

Read Iqbal’s complete speaker insight

So with mobile VAS services set to grow, how will telcos monetize this effectively?

Supaporn Preechakitanant, New Services Manager, for Thailand’s AIS explains that the current charges are being switch to Telco’s data revenue.

“From my point of view, the current operator’s revenue proportion changes in accordance to the technological revolution, so some voice and messaging revenues are being shifted to data revenue. This reason supports why data portions are still seeing some significant growth over the past few years. The rate of change depends on the growth of the adaptation of the smart phone, and the ease of user interface. Internet services will be one of the key drivers for customers demand to use mobile internet,” she said.

Supaporn’s full interview can be read here

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