Qualcomm and Teleepoch
Enter Into a 3G CDMA Subscriber Unit License Agreement, October
6, 2007
MTN chooses Cambridge Broadband
Networks for multi-service wireless network in Rwanda, October 6,
2007
Brazilian government to
publish 3G bidding rules soon, October 6, 2007
KTF 3G service suffers
from technical problems, October 6, 2007
Argentina’s Personal
lunches 3G service in Rosario, October 6, 2007
Russia has it's first 3G
network, October 6, 2007
AT&T could drop Alcatel-Lucent
as 3G mobile network supplier, October 6, 2007
Enea Extends License Agreement
with ZTE for 3G Handsets, October 2, 2007
LG to unveil premium handsets
in Brazil, October 2, 2007
KTF 3G subscribers doubled
in less than 3 months, October 2, 2007
3G policy in India will
be non-uniform, October 2, 2007
- previous news
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Europeans' busy thumbs to generate mobile gaming revenues worth nearly
$7 billion by 2006
October 18, 2003
It was not until the arrival of colour, download-enabled devices in the
mass market in 2003 that games on mobile devices advanced from Gameboys,
embedded games and limited text-based games using SMS and WAP.
A godsend for hard-pressed mobile operators that are concentrating on
driving data applications against a backdrop of stagnating voice markets,
the mobile gaming industry will further benefit from established and sustainable
mobile content business models and value chains.
Games are universally attractive and with an ever-increasing number of
subscribers owning, and always carrying, a colour handset with data capabilities;
content owners and application developers are seeing a new medium through
which to sell their products and services.
A new study by Frost & Sullivan is optimistic that widening distribution
channels, increasing awareness of mobile gaming, coupled with the rising
degree of comfort with payment and delivery over the air amongst subscribers,
will trigger an explosion in growth.
he universal appeal of games will be further fuelled by deepening penetration
of more sophisticated handsets, propelling revenues in European mobile
gaming market from just under $800.79 million in 2002 to just below $7
billion in 2006.
Jan ten Sythoff, Industry Analyst at Frost & Sullivan, notes that the
most potent driving force behind growth in the European mobile gaming
industry is the increasing number of people with games capable devices,
as well as the increasing availability of quality games titles.
The media gaming sector, including games for mobile consoles delivered
typically through physical media, currently constitutes the dominant revenue
source, accounting for 62.7 per cent of total sales in 2002.
From 2003 onwards, however, the development of Java gaming will inject
new vigour into the over the air (OTA) sector, comprising those games
delivered to the phone over the wireless wide area network. By the end
of the study period in 2006, the OTA sector will steal the limelight,
amassing 88.3 per cent of total sales.
The total European mobile gaming market is made up of hard-core gamers,
the true game fanatics, and casual, occasional gamers. Casual gamers are
filling in time while travelling, waiting and other such spare moments.
Hard-core gamers are those that will make time for gaming specifically
in their day. Typically, a media game will cost between $25 and $45, while
an OTA game can cost between $15 (for a branded Symbian game) and $0.25
for a simple SMS quiz.
Mr ten Sythoff agrees that this analysis is simplistic. "These two segments
will increasingly converge, particularly with OTA gaming moving closer
to the higher end media games, facilitated by the technical improvement
of handsets, increasing network bandwidth and competition driving the
quality and capability of mobile gaming," he adds.
"However, as our analysis focuses on the value chain, this segmentation
is significant as the two business models and value chains differ substantially.
We also project that the mobile consoles will be increasingly marginalised
as handset gaming improves greatly in affordability and convenience."
By the end of the forecast period in 2006, mobile gaming is expected
to represent around five percent of total operator wireless data revenues,
equating to around 30 percent of total video gaming revenue.
Around 50 percent of devices sold in 2003 are expected to be download-enabled,
while all operators have invested into offering gaming and other content
services. "Operators have also set up revenue share agreements such that
games developers and publishers have a solid business model, and are therefore
motivated to continue developing quality games," Mr ten Sythoff continues.
However, mobile gaming is and will be a way of filling in time for most
subscribers. As such, there is a limit to how often users will download
a game, and how much time they have to play it. To drive uptake, interactive
capabilities, a wide selection of gaming types to appeal to a wider user
base, as well as other elements which mobile technologies enable, must
be integrated to expand interest in mobile gaming, and consequently the
amount of money spent on it.
Perhaps one of the biggest question marks hovering over the mobile gaming
(and indeed many other mobile content) industries, is which channel to
the subscriber will ultimately reign supreme.
Will the end-user choose to order a mobile game through the operator
owned portal, or will other channels win? The issue is highlighted by
the dramatic development of the ringtones and logos market. With focused
marketing from non-operators, the market suddenly ballooned, and it is
estimated that nine out of ten ringtones are sold through non-operator
portal channels.
Network operators are the predominant channel to market at present for
mobile gaming, and will remain so, but other channels such as independent
portals and interactive TV are emerging as strong alternatives and will
drive market growth. The report includes an in-dpeth value chain analysis
looking at different channel scenarios, shedding light onto the likely
long term winners in this growing opportunity.
Frost & Sullivan's study concludes that interactivity provides significant
further growth opportunities, enabling extra revenue generation on top
of simple download revenues. There are, however, significant limitations
on interactivity, in particular real time multiplayer gaming will have
very limited growth opportunities up until 2006.
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3G Motorola A920
