The future of mobile Internet: service challenges and operator positioning

Publication Date	August 2008
Publisher	Ovum
Product Type	Report
Pages	27
ISBN Number	not applicable
Product Code	OVM00573

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Summary

Mobile Internet usage is improving with the arrival of flat-rate data tariffs, phones better equipped to support browsing and rich content, and operators adopting a more open market model. These are all positive developments but the issue going forward is how the mobile Internet business model will evolve. Will it go the way of the fixed Internet and be dominated by advertising and free services, with operators reduced to providers of commoditised access? In this report we provide a guide on how to get the service and advertising revenue balance right and a view of how operator positioning will evolve as a consequence.

Content

Key messages
Scope
Definitions
The foundations are in place finally
What has changed?
From closed portal to open mobile Internet
The changing role of the operator
Evolution of the mobile Internet business model
- Lessons from the fixed Internet
- Will mobile Internet follow the same business model as the fixed Internet?
Operators do not have to be dumb pipes unless they are stupid
- Commodity mobile broadband ISPs?
- Core B2B enabling services
Life after access: where will mobile Internet service revenue growth come from?
- Communications services are core
- Utility-type services have potential
- Look at ways to enable m-commerce
- The content service crunch
- Balancing the paid-for versus advertising-supported service mix
- Operator positioning and revenue growth
- Orange: multi-platform TV services
- Premium content will become more segmented
- Not every operator will benefit from the mobile advertising land grab
- The integrated web/mobile model
The rise of the D2C players
- How are they shaping the mobile Internet
- The big hitters and ones to watch
- The integrated web/mobile model is the way forward
- The mobile operator: supplier, competitor and customer
Table of figures
- Figure 1 Percentage of survey samples accessing the Internet on a weekly basis
- Figure 2 Ericsson Consumer Labs: mobile Internet trends data
- Figure 3 Vodafones evolution from closed portal to mobile Internet
- Figure 4 The evolution of the Internet business model
- Table 1 Services that can be offered to third parties
- Figure 5 The amount survey respondents were willing to pay for mobile blockbuster films
- Figure 6 Survey respondents willingness to be exposed to advertising in return for free films
- Figure 7 Balancing the service and revenue mix
- Figure 8 Integrated web/mobile
- Figure 9 Zed