Mobile Content Gaining Popularity


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Mobile ContentConsumers on the look out for more communication
Everyone in Qatar has a mobile phone. It not only seems that way, but according to different research, the mobile penetration rate in Qatar may be as high as 170%.
 
If accurate, that means almost two mobile phones for each person living in the country. While more conservative estimates put the number just above 90%, there is a clearly a high demand for mobile phones here.

With a mobile phone in almost everyone's hands, there is increased interest in how to tap into its full potential from all sectors. Consumers want to improve their ability to communicate with friends and families, and are increasingly looking for the phone to operate almost as a handheld PC. Service providers are looking for innovative mobile technology and applications to offer to give them a competitive advantage. Businesses and non-profit organizations are exploring new ways to communicate messages and share information about their products or services.

Mobile content - loosely defined as any form of media viewed or accessed on a mobile phone - is one of the hottest trends in mobile technology. The emergence of 'smart phones' with high bandwidth capacity are bringing streaming video, direct internet access, music, games, and a variety of applications such as ringtones and wallpapers directly to consumers with just a screen touch or a few clicks. Many of these applications are proving wildly popular.

Leading mobile providers have certainly recognized the appetite for enhanced mobile content and are beginning to introduce innovative products and packages. Qtel offers special packages for mobile broadband service and also offers special content through its Mosaic promotion. Once Vodafone begins offering full services in Qatar, it is likely they will offer some mobile content options similar to products they offer in other markets.

"The opening of the telecoms market to competition will likely bring innovation in the products and services available here. As regulator, ictQATAR tends to take a technology neutral approach to allow this innovation to take place. Mobile content is certainly one area where we may witness creative offerings," said William Fagan, Executive Director of ictQATAR's Regulatory Authority.

Marketers are also taking notice. SMS are already a popular method of communication for companies to market their products, but as new forms of content are available on mobile phones, marketers can be even more creative about the ways to reach potential customers. Some companies are developing special applications, such as games. Others are offering music or videos for download on a mobile phone and including a promotional piece at the beginning or end.

At the recent International Conference on Information and Communication Technologies and Development (ICTD) held in Doha, a special panel was held on the issue of mobile content. Panelist saw a great deal of potential for the development of mobile content, but raised concerns about its application. "For mobile content to really be beneficial and adopted, it must be relevant locally," said Gaetano Borriello, Adjunct Professor in the Information School at the University of Washington. ""It's not just corporations or service providers that should be developing the content and applications," added David Edelstein, Director of ICT Innovation at the Grameen Technology Center. "User-generated content is often the most useful and most widely adopted."

Ken Banks of Kiwanja.net, an organization that is helping non-profit organizations make better use of ICT in their work, stressed that there is often a lot of content that exists and would be valuable to consumers, but it is not available in a mobile friendly way. "People that want to provide content over mobile phones must be willing to create information in a format that can be viewed on a small mobile device.""

Regardless of the challenges, mobile content is likely to continue its rapid growth and evolution. "What is really interesting is how the increase in mobile content allows for a major convergence of information in your life. You can play, communicate and control different areas of your life," said a US-based senior consultant for Verizon. "With two clicks on my iPhone I can pay bills, make an appointment with my doctor and even adjust my thermostat at home. We are just starting to experience the potential benefits."






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