The worldwide opportunity for mobile data and wireless games is huge, according to two new studies, but wireless carriers will need to accurately price and market the applications to take advantage of the market.
According to The Research Room, the global market for wireless gaming services will grow from $561 million last year to $41.3 billion in 2007. Java- and BREW-based downloadable games will lead the charge, with 146 million users by 2007.
“Wireless, gaming and the Internet will create a new market for interactive and multiplayer wireless gaming services,” said Tim Sheedy, The Research Room’s managing director.
However, according to new research from Strategy Analytics, carriers need to move toward a pay-per-use pricing model that stays below the $5-per-megabyte level.
“Although the 2002 launch of licensed versions of NTT DoCoMo’s i-mode by the likes of KPN Mobile has served to catalyze the market for consumer packet pricing models, non-tied,pay-as-you-use GPRS prices are most commonly found in the $10 to $20 per megabyte range, still well above our recommended $5 per megabyte sweet spot,” said David Kerr, the firm’s vice president of its Global Wireless Practice. “Furthermore, this trend towards separating transport and service charges is less than ideal for consumer charging where operators’ revenues are tied to transport, a commodity product, whose value is likely to rapidly erode.”
