Smartphone Operating Systems

The smartphone segment is becoming central to the development of the global mobile industry. With mobile subscriptions� penetration of the population having already surpassed 100% in most developed markets and quickly approaching that mark on a global level, a sign of near market saturation, industry players are focusing on mobile data as the main revenue growth source for the future. In addition to network and service investments being made to pursue this opportunity, data services need user-friendly terminals and interfaces to engage customers.

Location-Based Services

Following many years of high expectations, the location-based services market is finally coming of age. Growing adoption of GPS devices is the key driver, helping a whole host of different applications and services to grow. For mobile operators, this is an opportunity to drive new revenue streams, but it is also a threat because it means access to location information is no longer their monopoly. Operators need to become more active in the location space by driving their own-branded navigation and local search applications on devices they distribute, maximizing smartphone sales and bundling people-finding services with packages targeting specific segments. In other segments � including social networking, in-app advertising and advertising-based messaging � the opportunity is more limited, although there are some interesting opportunities here, as well.