International research firm Frost & Sullivan has earmarked five South African companies that are poised to be winners in the mobile Web 2.0 market.
They are Mobilitrix, a static to interactive content firm; AeroMessenger, a corporate instant messaging company; mobile voice over Internet Protocol provider Yeigo; Mobimii, a company that transports Facebook photos to mobile; and mobile chat provider Mxit.
Speaking at the 3GSM conference, in Cape Town yesterday, Frost & Sullivan analyst Lindsey McDonald said South African firms are seen internationally at the forefront of mobile content innovation.
"Of all the innovation going on in the local ICT sector, the most innovative companies, that is the ones coming out with the most original solutions, are players in the mobile space. Coincidentally they are all based in the Western Cape," she said.
McDonald said the South African mobile content market is highly competitive, with 200 mobile content providers and a three-month demand cycle from consumers for content. They all face the pressure of trying to differentiate their services, she noted.
McDonald said Web 2.0 content is increasingly moving into the mobile Web 2.0 space, and standards and operating systems on the devices will become more important. The value chain between operators, mobile aggregators, mobile content providers and end-users will also change into a more dynamic and flatter relationship.
Mobile operating systems will be important to the development of user-generated content, she noted. "While Symbian and other operating systems are doing well, there has been a high uptake of the Windows Mobile operating system."
However, she said increased regulation of content is expected within the next six months, especially as European regulations, such as the protection of minors from adult content and the promotion of cultural diversity, become more important.
"These principles are paramount to SA too."
She said wireless application service providers are currently at a disadvantage due to the lack of end-to-end systems checking. "There will be calls to regulate the provision of transaction confirmation data."
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