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25/04/08 Trends: Mobile Internet Landscape
SINGAPORE - I’ve been trying to observe the potential trends in technology out in Asia. It’s not that they’re behind or following the west - rather they are coming in on a totally different trajectory making it rather interesting to watch. Something I have definately spotted is that the mobile internet is going to be all about emerging markets - there are too many phones (and great signal coverage) to ignore.
India has 60 million internet users…
but 150 million mobile users.
South Africa has 5 million internet users…
but 35 million mobile users.
Do the calculation. Mobile internet is not a zero sum game.
We do not lose an internet user every time we gain a mobile one. These are new customers for the internet and their first and possibly only access to the internet will be through that tiny 2 x 3 inch screen.
The mobile internet is not about squeezing existing content onto a smaller screen. It is about creating new applications designed for mobile users from the ground up. –Dr Lai Kok Fung
A true mobile application should not be a companion to a larger site. It should be fully usable and independent. Do not assume the user has any other access to the internet just because they own the latest smartphone.
The current trend for success in the mobile space are time-saving applications that take a single physical task and make it virtual. e.g. book a ticket, reserve a seat.
It is better to offer to complete a task that requires very little information to make a decision.
Micro-payments will be huge but there will be no credit-cards. Instead people with no bank account will pay with their credit-phone.
Commission charged by the carrier billing systems is so high that it is impossible to sell physical objects. You can only sell replicable digital items at no cost to you per unit.
-Robin.
Sources: I took many of these figures, trends, quotes and predictions from talking to people at the S@S event at Microsoft Singapore.
(Image Credit: The view of Taipei City, Taiwan, from the top of Taipei 101, world’s tallest building since 2004 until this is finished.)
Tags: asia, asiasingapore, emerging markets, emerging marketsmobile, mobile, mobile internet, singapore, trends
