As Mobile now exceeds 2 billion customers, we are seeing increased capability being added everywhere to mobile phones. En route towards 3 billion phones we will see a major shift in consumer interest from (network) carriage to content, and for customers from a verbal to a growing visual world

In many countries we now have more phones than people, and this just illustrates that the only way to grow is through mobile (data) usage. If Content is King, then Carriage is surely Queen - and Mobile Content a Royal wedding!

So, in 2005 we have seen close to 2 trillion GSM text messages carried globally. For the UK alone, the MDA has just forecast for 2006 another 15% growth in volumes, which take the totals through to an average of 100 million per day or 36.5 billion for the whole year (in 1999 we only carried 1 billion).

Without a shadow of a doubt, mobile entertainment has the lion's share of the market when it comes to value-added mobile services, thanks largely to the enduring popularity of personalisation services and TV voting.

Billing for mobile entertainment services is still largely carried out by Premium SMS, especially for services and content paid for on demand. As a billing method, Premium SMS has three important advantages:

• It can be used for billing small amounts, often less than $10 for mobile services.
• It is a universal payment method, accessible to everyone who has a mobile phone.
• It provides a quick and easy user experience.

Nonetheless, the fact that the range of content that consumers pay for with their mobile now includes products which are not necessarily consumed on the phone itself (and are therefore beyond the scope of Premium SMS, which often combines the ordering procedure with the payment) has led to the introduction of new payment methods.

The mobile industry has come of age. The market in many European countries now brings in annual revenues that top €500 million, and in less than five years telemedia, media, mobile network operators and content applications service providers have succeeded in creating a mass consumer market where ringtones, music, logos, information, games and videos are just some of the products now on offer on our mobile shelves.

As we look back on the year that has just ended and turn our gaze towards the future of mobile in 2006 and beyond, one thing is clear - the mobile phone has amply proven its effectiveness as a tool for value added services. From voice onwards, the mobile has progressively integrated a whole host of features to the point where it has now become a truly intimate personal computer - music, imaging, video, messaging (from SMS and MMS to Instant Messaging and email), games and the Internet are now all to be found on these powerful devices that we carry around every day in our pockets and in our handbags.

*The Netsize Guide 2006