Mobile Internet subscribers to 1.7 billion by 2013

Mobile Internet subscribers to 1.7 billion by 2013. According to new study by Juniper Research, Mobile web users will rise driven by New Web 2.0 collaborative business models. The number of subscribers using mobile Internet services will rise from 577 million currently, to top 1.7bn by 2013, spurred by demand for collaborative applications known collectively as ‘web 2.0’, and greater 2.5/3G penetration.

Established mobile players face increasing competition from web-based brands and will have to adapt their commercial strategies to accommodate greater collaboration with other members of the value chain, if future revenue growth in the mobile web 2.0 space is to be achieved.

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

More details available from Juniper Research.