MEF releases its Top Ten Mobile Media Trends for 2010

The year 2009 was a turbulent one for the global economy. However, the mobile industry has weathered the storm remarkably well, as MEF’s quarterly Business Confidence Index (BCI) has shown. In the last BCI, the global mobile media industry predicted growth of 33% in the next year; although MEF believes that the industry has the potential to beat this projection.

This time last year, MEF made a number of predictions that came to fruition in 2009. It predicted that mobile applications would emerge as a content category in their own right and with more than 24 application stores now launched and several billion apps downloaded this has clearly been realised. MEF also predicted the proliferation of touch screen devices would drive discoverability and content usage which is self-evident with seemingly every OEM producing a touch-screen device and strong consumer demand for the interactive functionality this interface provides.

Such a creative and richly diverse industry will continue to deliver new and exciting challenges and opportunities. With MEF’s previous success in anticipating, defining and addressing these key issues, we share here our forecast of top trends in mobile media for 2010.

MEF’s Top 10 Mobile Media Trends for 2010

1. Fragmentation and variance amongst handsets and now application stores will continue to plague the industry, however the growth of applications on the Android platform will close the gap on Apple’s App Store
2. Operator enabling services will start to be widely deployed, facilitating the growth of rich media content that is simpler, faster and offers a better user experience
3. Media publishers will start to experiment with micro-payments, subscription service models and alternative payment methods which challenge the operators’ dominance, with Rupert Murdoch’s decision to charge for online media content highlighting an already fierce debate
4. Books will emerge as a new and popular content category for smartphones
5. Technology innovation will continue, with content developers experimenting with 3D mobile video viewers and augmented reality for mobile
6. The emerging risk of illicit charging by in-app billing will be met by firm regulatory action
7. Significant tightening of premium rate regulation in the Atlantic region will spread across the world
8. 2010 will be the year of multiplatform dual-delivery of content including music, video and games, across mobile phones, TVs and PCs
9. The growing consumer demand for data-heavy services will put greater pressure on networks, with flat rate data tariffs increasingly subjected to stringent download limits
10. Complexity, confusion and ambiguity in the application of rights to the mobile platform will be addressed seriously in 2010

MEF Thought Leadership Driving Debate across Multiple Revenue Model Discussions

Management World Americas conference takes place next week with MEF heavily involved across the programme. The event is proving to be one of the most important for communications service providers across the Americas. With 60% of pre-registered attendees holding senior/executive positions in more than 300 companies across 50 countries, can you afford not to attend? Register now to reserve your place.

Management World Americas will focus on how to make new business models a reality and deliver the efficiencies and new service revenues vital to survival. If your time is limited why not register for an Expo plus pass and get access to:

Content Sales Reporting (CSR)– Mobile Content & Advertising Revenue Management Catalyst
The TM Forum has taken the template completed by MEF on CSR in 2008, specifically responding to industry revenue leakage losses of up to 10%, and worked in collaboration with SwissCom, CVidya, SAS, Netezza and MEF to develop a live revenue assurance demonstration to be shown at the event.

Smart Pipe Enablers Panel
Wednesday, December 9 at 4pm
The MEF Enablers initiative aims to educate the market on the use of Smart Pipe Enabling services and brings together the different players in the mobile entertainment value chain to promote the rapid implementation of a coherent and workable model for enabling services.

Panelists:

• Brian Johnson, Head of US & APAC Sales and Marketing, mBlox
• Jim Beddows, VP Business Development, 2ergo
• Stephen Fleece, Director Value Chains Collaboration, TM Forum
• Bill Wilson, Director of Business Development & Digital Strategy, NARM

Moderator:

• Suhail Bhat, Policy & Initiatives Director, MEF

Making Money From Advertising & Personalization? Executive Roundtable
Wednesday, December 9 at 11am
Chaired by Patrick Parodi, Managing Director EMEA, Exicon, Board Director, Shazam and Board Director, MEF
This module is part of the New Services & Business Models Summit and will investigate and discuss the role of advertising within the value chain, new business and pricing models, standards, analytics and consumer privacy amongst many other topics.

Other Business Development opportunities include:

Interactive Discussions with 12 Keynote Speakers
Interactive discussions focusing on new ways of reducing OpEx and generating new revenues, with the spotlight on implementation and operational excellence.

Four Conference Summits - 150+ Speakers

• New Services & Business Models
• IT & Operational Excellence
• Revenue Management & Billing
• Customer Experience

For further details please visit the MEF website or contact Helen Meller, Marketing Manager, Management World Americas on: hmeller@tmforum.org OR register@tmforum.org.