Some 68% of attendees believed the projected increase of mobile handsets for social networking applications, such as Facebook and MySpace, would provide a key focus for mobile operators.
A further 60% said console-type video games for mobile phones will be introduced within the next two years, while mobile TV and VoD were also identified as key functions for future mobile handsets.
An important challenge to this development was identified in the seminar, as 50% of those that took part believed that limited handset capabilities were the biggest obstacle to the advancement of mobile internet and other applications. User generated content is not a high demand data service, but console-type video games and mobile TV are highly demanding and require a large amount of processing power. Apart from limited battery power and bandwidth capability, the size of the mobile device limits its processing power, which is a key concern for mobile operators.
Commented Tajinder Jagdev, head of the communications, media and entertainment practice at SAS UK: “The seminar indicated that the future of mobile technology lies in giving the user a more integrated experience that assimilates the functions of a PC and other entertainment devices on a mobile handset. A survey of the attendees revealed that the majority believe mobile phones are heading towards a new phase, which allows the user to have the same experiences as they do on a PC and games console on their mobile phones. Phones equipped with Mobile TV and video-on-demand capabilities were also popular suggestions, as the future lies in portable entertainment.
“In addition, quality of service was identified as one of the most fundamental aspects underpinning successful innovation in the mobile industry. Currently, mobile operators are restricted by a number of problems, for example limited mobile handsets and mobile connectivity. In order to achieve an end-to-end consumer experience, mobile operators need to address these problems and identify how best to capitalise on the innovations that involve higher processing speeds and high data demand services,” concluded Jagdev.