Demand for apps like mobile VoIP to rise in 2010

The desire for paid-for mobile content, such as mobile VoIP solutions applications, will grow over the next year, the Mobile Entertainment Forum (MEF) has said.

Nearly two-thirds of mobile media returns over the next quarter are forecast to be generated by payments for content like IP telephony solutions apps.

These are the findings of the recent fourth Business Confidence Index (BCI) from the trade association of the mobile media industry, conducted by professional services firm KPMG.

Rimma Perelmuter, executive director at MEF, said that the mobile media industry expects that apps generated by the likes of VoIP providers will create a "substantial additional revenue source".

The extra income from monetised mobile content will contribute to the projected 28 per cent growth of the mobile media market in 2010, according to the BCI.

Mark Harding, director of digital content at KPMG, said that, over the last six months, mobile applications have become a significant "driver of growth".

This development demonstrates the "dynamism of this new business model for monetising mobile content," he explained.

Mobile VoIP applications could raise awareness among consumers of the benefits of IP telephony solutions.

A recent survey from online and mobile financial services provider Wells Fargo showed that only 22 per cent of respondents had used an internet-based phone service.