300% Growth In Youth Market For Mobiles

India's youth market for cell phones has been growing at 300% in the recent years, says the global study conducted by Nokia. The youth market for mobiles has touched 27.6 million this year compared to 8.3 million people in 2005.

As per the report, entertainment is expected to be one of the main revenue generators for value added services (VAS) segment and is likely to dominate the mobile space in India. The total earnings from mobile entertainment services is estimated to be Rs 1,500 crore in India whereas the global entertainment earnings stood at $110 billion. The VAS market segment would push the the total spending to $43 billion and music would continue to be the major revenue generator, the study indicated.

Though music is a major contributer towards revenue, its overall share of the market would fall from 40% in 2006 to 36% in 2011 as new forms of entertainment such as mobile TV and video series gain consumer interest.

The study added that out of the total mobile user base, over 60% listen to music, 75% use camera, over 50% play games and 50% browse Internet.

Source: ET

Softbank Wins Most Cellphone Subscribers In October

Japan's Softbank Corp added 158,600 new users, beating No 2 KDDI Corp, which added a net 133,800 users. Both outran Japan's top mobile phone carrier NTT DoCoMo Inc, which netted 39,100 new users.

Source:The Economic Times

Is It a Phone, Is It a Software?

Google has cleared the air by saying that the Google Phone is not going to be a phone to compete with the likes of Apple Computer's iPhone but a software to rival Microsoft.

Google has teamed up with network operators and handset vendors to develop an open mobile OS, code-named, Android in alliance with the Open Handset Alliance. Handset makers will be first given the Google software, and subsequently, developers will design applications for the Google Phone. The Android platform is the first step in significantly reduce the cost of developing and distributing mobile devices and services.

The Consumers should expect the first google phone to be available in the second half of 2008 and the chosen carrier for launching the device is US-based Verizon Wireless.

Source: Cellular News, Techtree, Cellphone Digest