Simply taking web experience on mobiles won’t work

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: The emergence of value added services (VAS) is one trend that is being followed closely and with great interest by industry analysts and policy makers worldwide. We, at Mobio Networks, find the market opportunity simply huge and waiting to be tapped. Consider USA, where access to broadband internet has crossed a significant threshold—50% of households have access to high speed internet. That, as we know, has spawned several rich service offerings under the Web 2.0 moniker. In India, very few people have access to the web, let alone broadband. However, interestingly, the mobile phone has emerged as the most prevalent device to access the internet. Most of the industry up till now has been focused on investments in wireless infrastructure. Now that a large part of that investment is behind us, attention is inevitably shifting to VAS. In many parts of the world, VAS is getting to be roughly 1/3rd or more of operator’s revenue streams already. In India, there is pent up demand and the opportunities for growth abundant.

VAS is finally where the rubber meets the road for the consumer. More importantly, the consumer is asking for the next set of services—beyond ringtones, wallpaper, games, SMS. They are finally unlocking the value in their phone, which really is a mini computer with transaction oriented services. That factor, in and of itself, is a big catalyst for increased adoption and growth. However, few VAS providers have realised that simply taking the web experience and miniaturising it for mobile delivery doesn’t work. The consumer is left with a poor experience and abandons the service quickly.