Mobile data services to grow 15pc in 2015

BANGALORE, INDIA: Mobile connections in India will grow to 880 million in 2015, an increase of 5 percent from 837 million connections in 2014, according to Gartner, Inc.

Spending on mobile services will grow 4 percent to reach $21.4 billion in 2015.

Spending on mobile services will be driven by data services, which is expected to grow 15 percent to reach $6.5 million in 2015.

A large chunk of this growth will be driven by the increasing use of cellular services on data-centric devices, such as tablets and notebooks, through either embedded cellular modems or USB sticks.

Spending on data services will also be heavily driven by mobile apps, particularly mobile video apps. Apps and content are driving traffic volume as people increasingly chat to friends and family, watch videos on the move, and listen to streamed music.

As the mobile app market matures, app developers will have to sharpen their focus on the marketing and transparency of their apps, in order to retain customers.

Gartner's research indicates that although affluent people and traditional early adopters are the leading users of new technologies and devices, younger, less wealthy people make greater use of mobile apps. Young people's greater acceptance of apps and mobile content will require app developers to adjust their techniques to address the differences between user groups.

The future will be tough for CSPs and mobile app developers who decide not to upgrade the user experiences they deliver on their services and products. The winners will be those providers best able to satisfy consumers' demand for high data use, while maintaining their margins.