|
On the Mobile
Like everything else, web 2.0 has also reached the mobile. And as always
there is a big bubble of optimism around the potential that the mobile holds to
provide Internet access to the unreached. Let me burst the bubble a bit. Around
42% of the phones in India are GPRS enabled. However, only 10% of them are GPRS
activated. Out of this 10%, only around 6% are used as a regular access devices.
Then there is the glaring fact that only the people who use varied access
mediums use mobile on and off conveniently. That leaves the argument of giving
access to people only having a handset, is hanging in mid air. Of course,
there is the ever-daunting bandwidth challenge and 3G is generating a lot of
hope on that front. But who will really use it? That it will only help the most
media enabled and highest rung of urban users is anybodys guess.
 |
| A lot of web 2.0
ventures have come and gone because there was no awareness and thus no
adoption Dhruv Gupta,
business head, DesiMartini |
Although there is no doubting the tremendous potential that the mobile holds,
given its sheer numbers that potential certainly isnt being tapped. And web
2.0, even if it is happening on mobile, is not reaching any further than this
top most rung. Says Joy, The reason behind this is that operators have always
been voice oriented and have never marketed these services enough. Even MMS is
not popular, he says.
Then there are other challenges like screen supportability of the mobile and
mobile replicating a complete Internet experience is still far off. Checking
scribbles and scraps on mobile is quite different from watching a YouTube video
on your handset. That will need a stronger backend infrastructure.
Given these reasons, its not surprising that 2.0 hasnt gone completely
mobile yet. Our list comprises only one mobile player and honestly, there arent
many names on the horizon either. So is all the mobile trumpeting a false alarm?
Not quite, say the veterans. Quips Joy, The number of users accessing the
Internet on mobile for the first time is going to be tremendous. He also thinks
that mobile video streaming is going to be a big trend and social networking, TV
watching and location based services are going to see a real boost on mobile.
Dhingra notes that very few web 2.0 products have been successful on mobile.
Twitter, I think has seen the maximum usage. But there is a lot more scope
given the proliferation of the mobile. So its the focus that needs to change a
little. From focusing on people with mobile as an alternate access medium, the
service providers need to focus on people with mobile as the only access device.
Walking Ahead...
Going a little further, a lot of trends seem to be mushrooming in the web
2.0 street. Micro-blogging and video streaming are the most prominent ones.
Almost everyone concurs on the fact that niche networking, be it on a
friendship portal or community based services, will gain the forefront soon. We
might also see some improvement in the dismal percentage of UGC in India.
However, we desperately need some reviving syrup if web 2.0 is to grow evenly
in India. More customization, better penetration, and greater levels of
awareness are a must. Some cultural barriers also need to be transgressed, but
that will take its own time.
Internet is evolving, and with it web 2.0. Its not only a business
opportunity but also a very broad platform which has space for everyone on
board.
What we do need most at this hour is a sturdier revenue model. We need to
shift from ad-based framework to an e-commerce based set-up. There is a need to
recognize that revenues have to come through transactions because they will not
be coming through eyeballs much longer.
Mehak Chawla
mehakc@cybermedia.co.in Page(s) 1 2 3
| 
Print
Comment
Email
Digg
Del.icio.us
Reddit
Twitter
