Mobile Groove

Following a chain of successful events in the U.S., the Mobile Breakfast Series touches down in London for the first time Friday (June 29). The event — aptly titled Operators and OTT, (over the top) and organized by mobile analyst and authority Chetan Sharma­— explores how mobile operators can remain relevant in an industry where the spread of affordable bundles, the increased popularity of group messaging apps like WhatsApp and the advance of over-the-top players (Google Apple & Co.) …

The majority of mobile local search click actions were calls in 1Q2012. According to a report released by xAd, placing a call to a local business was the leading secondary action after a mobile-local search ad click.

• 58 percent of secondary actions post-search click led to calls, ahead of maps and directions (36 percent).
• Overall, the secondary action rate stood at a healthy 36 percent, with the click-through rate on search campaigns reaching just over 8 percent.
• SOURCE: http://www.xad.com/a

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CHETAN SHARMA MOBILE BREAKFAST SERIES PREVIEW: Frank Meehan, part of the Horizons Ventures VC team, tells us how mobile operators can stay relevant by moving innovation activities outside of the company (like Telefónica Digital), or by identifying and claiming a lucrative niche (example AT&T and its Digital Home connected home and security offer).

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While messaging traffic continues to grow, the revenue generated by mobile operators has declined significantly. So – What has c…

A new fact-packed report from Chetan Sharma confirms that the global mobile industry is still the most vibrant and fastest growing sector on the planet.

• Total global mobile revenues are forecast to hit $1.5 trillion in 2012, which is equal to over 2 percent of global GDP.
• The report also found that 2012 will be the first year that non-messaging data revenues make up the majority of the overall global data revenue (53 percent). SOURCE: http://www.chetansharma.com/GlobalMobileMarketUpdate2012

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Will 2012 be the year of mobile commerce? If this is indeed a momentous year for mobile retail and transactions of all kinds, then what will happen to the mix of payment options and players currently jockeying for position? Should we expect a showdown between credit card companies, carriers, banks, aggregators and the likes of PayPal? In the midst of all the massive growth and disruption will we see mega-acquisitions, or are all the companies that could achieve $10 billion+ price tags in the first place taken?

This week’s m-pulse catches up with Chetan Sharma, independent consultant and well-known industry authority, to discuss mobile mega-trends and deep-dive into the results of the 2012 Mobile Industry Predictions Survey. Each year Chetan asks us —the mobile industry — to weigh in on the most newsworthy events and companies, as well as vote for the breakthrough categories, developments and technologies sure to define 2012.

Rob and I also discuss our pick of hot mobile news and data points. I rant about the disconnect between the mobile and retail readiness of luxury brands (lacking to say the least!) and our willingness (even requirement) to interact with luxury brands via our mobile phones and tablets.

It’s a milestone day for the fledgling app space. We have a solid report from esteemed colleague Chetan Sharma that gives a good overview of the size of the global mobile apps economy and some valuable insights into the regional