New market research into mobile location-based services (LBS) in Europe claims revenues will climb from €205 million in 2010 at a CAGR of 13.4 per cent to reach €435 million in 2016. The study, undertaken by Berg Insight, estimates that 20 per cent of all mobile subscribers in Europe already use a location service on a regular basis. Local search, social networking and navigation services are said by Berg to be the top application categories in terms of number of users. Social networking is forecast by the market research firm to experience the highest growth in the coming years.
"As more and more developers add location support in their apps to enhance the user experience, LBS is now gaining mainstream acceptance among mobile subscribers," said André Malm, senior analyst with Berg Insight. He added that integration of GPS in handsets is an important enabler. "The installed base of GPS handsets in Europe has reached 35 per cent of total handsets and surpassed 70 per cent in North America." Article