Communication still top mobile priority
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Despite a slew of new multimedia-gaming- and video-centric mobile services, communication still trumps all else. Very few mobile services have really taken off, and those that are used with any frequency tend to be text messaging- and communications-oriented, according to Yankee Group research.
Jill Aldort, analyst for Yankee Group, said that carriers are moving back to the basics of tried and true services that consumers consistently use and are proven to bring in revenues. Ringtone revenues, once a bread and butter resource for carriers, are expected to tap out within this year, as are mobile game downloads. Even the burgeoning mobile TV market is expected to plateau in 2010, she said.
“There's not a significant amount of growth in what we necessarily thought were the major mobile applications, which is why most of the focus has turned to general Internet browsing and back to the basics of texting and communications,” Aldort said.
MOBILE PHONE SERVICES USAGE
| Text message | Photo message | Video message | Push-to-talk | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| At least once a month | 35.6% | 19.3% | 7.7% | 24.2% | 2.9% |
| At least once a day | 19.5% | 2.7% | 1.9% | 19.5% | 5.5% |
| Receive/send IM | Browse Internet | Listen to music | Watch TV or video | Download games & ringtones | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| At least once a month | 10.8% | 12.6% | 7.5% | 5.9% | 5.3% |
| At least once a day | 5.0% | 5.2% | 2.3% | 1.9% | 2.0% |
Source: Yankee Group
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