Messaging Continues to Be Cash Cow for Mobile Operators Reports In-Stat

As mobile operators have seen the average revenue per user (ARPU) decrease, they have sought to boost revenue via new value-added services; however, the most profitable data service is still text messaging, reports In-Stat (http://www.in-stat.com). Inexpensive, ubiquitous, reliable, and simple for the mobile customer to operate, Short Message Service (SMS) and Multimedia Message Service (MMS) technologies provide potentially endless revenue streams for forward-thinking Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), the high-tech market research firm says.

"SMS may be a basic, cheap technology, but it still has much life as a MNO cash cow," says Frank Dickson, In-Stat analyst. "The keys to SMS profitability are its ease-of-use, inexpensive price tag, global reach, and increased reliability as infrastructure development increases in more rural global regions. In developed areas, however, it has become increasingly important for mobile operators to find ways to enhance and personalize the SMS service offering."

Recent research by In-Stat found the following:

* Users are sending more than 2 trillion mobile messages per day globally as of the end of 2008.
* In-Stat consumer survey showed that consumers that use mobile messaging also use significantly more voice minutes than overall survey respondents.
* In addition to paying more for value-added services, US mobile messengers are also more likely to pay up to 25% more for their handsets than all survey respondents.

The research, "Worldwide Application Series: Mobile Messaging Still Profitable" (#IN0804319MCM), covers the worldwide market for mobile messaging. It provides customer segmentation of consumers who currently use mobile data referencing the 2008 Consumer Mobility Survey. Analysis of different stages of text messaging growth on a regional level is included. The research also provides global and regional forecasts for the mobile messaging industry.

For more information on this research or to purchase it online, please visit: http://www.instat.com/catalog/wcatalogue.asp?id=231 or contact a sales representative: http://www.instat.com/sales.asp.

The price is $1,495 (US).

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