Established mobile players face increasing competition from web-basedbrands and will have to adapt their commercial strategies to accommodategreater collaboration with other members of the value chain, if futurerevenue growth in the mobile web 2.0 space is to be achieved.

An Open Mobile Internet

According to a new report from Juniper Research, the emergence ofapplications such as: Social networking; User Generated Content (UGC);Instant Messaging (IM); Location Based Services (LBS); Search calls fordelivery of the mobile Internet as it was originally conceived -- i.e. anopen environment in which users are able to share, collaborate and exploitcontent/information without any one party controlling the value chain.

This marks a fundamental shift for the industry towards the D2C (direct-toconsumer) model and places growing pressure on mobile network operators(MNOs) and handset manufacturers in particular, to relinquish some of theircontrol over the value chain, by opening up their networks/devices tothird-parties.

New Business Models

"Major web players have already crossed the Rubicon and establishedthemselves in the mobile domain, placing the onus on MNOs and other membersof the value chain to form innovative relationships and grab a share of thenew revenue streams being created," comments Ian Chard, Juniper ResearchAnalyst and author of the report 'Mobile Web 2.0: Leveraging Location, IM,Social Web & Search 2008-2013.'

"The mobile web 2.0 market is still nascent and business models remain in astate of flux, so there is still time for players to establish fruitfulpartnerships that build on their strengths and are reciprocally beneficial.The window of opportunity, however, is closing."

Other findings from the report

--  The Far East & China region will be the largest market for mobile web,    reaching almost 416 million users by 2013, up from a year-end figure of 190    million users in 2008--  The greatest untapped potential for mobile web lies in South America,    while growth will be more measured in markets such as Eastern and Western    Europe -- where fixed broadband penetration is relatively high--  As with the fixed Internet, many mobile web 2.0 applications will need    to be provided at base cost/flat-data rates (or even free of charge),    forcing industry players to seek new revenue streams    

Juniper Research assesses the current and future status of the Mobile Web2.0 market based on interviews, case studies and analysis fromrepresentatives of some of the organisations leading this growing market.

Whitepapers and further details of the study 'Mobile Web 2.0: Leveraging'Location, IM, Social Web & Search 2008-2013' can be freely downloaded fromwww.juniperresearch.com. Alternatively, please contact John Levett atjohn.levett@juniperresearch.com, telephone +44(0)1256 830002.

Juniper Research provides research and analytical services to the globalhi-tech communications sector, providing consultancy, analyst reports andindustry commentary.

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