Research and Markets: The State of the South African Mobile UGC Market: Gearing up for the 2010 World Cup

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/4c2141/the_state_of_the_s) has announced the addition of the "The State of The South African Mobile UGC Market: Gearing Up For the 2010 World Cup" report to their offering.

“The State of The South African Mobile UGC Market: Gearing Up For the 2010 World Cup”

Leading market research and consulting company JBB Research, which specializes in the mobile and telecommunications industry has published its "The State of the South African Mobile UGC services Market: Gearing up For the 2010 World Cup In South Africa."

With almost 29% of South Africans using mobile UGC services/content on a daily basis, based on JBB Research estimates, the South African mobile UGC services/content market has now reached a tipping point. By the end of 2013, the total number of South African wireless UGC subscribers is expected to almost double. This 72 page report analyzes the key players, future drivers, and key issues/inhibitors in the South African mobile UGC services/content space. It also assesses and ranks the leading players (e.g. wireless carriers, handset vendors, mobile blogging companies, mobile chat companies) strategy toward mobile UGC services, and provides specific recommendations to some of the leading companies featured in this report. Companies profiled in this report include Vodacom South Africa, MTN South Africa, Cell C, Virgin Mobile South Africa, MXit, Movius, Nokia, Samsung, LG, RIM, Sony Ericsson, HTC, Motorola, Apple, Google, Facebook, Buoungiorno, StarFish Mobile, Twitter, etc. The leading WASPs (Wireless Application Service Providers) in South Africa are also profiled in this report.

For example, mobile UGC services like MXit and The Grid have become the perfect communication platform for many South Africans especially teenagers and young adults (13 ? 25 years old). "The young South Africans have a thirst for understanding technologies and are very community oriented. They have become a driving force for the South African mobile UGC services market today," noted Julien Blin, Principal Analyst and CEO of JBB Research.

Despite the challenging macro environment, many carriers and startups in South Africa are now gearing up for the upcoming 2010 soccer world cup, set to take place in South Africa. Ultimately, the 2010 soccer world cup should alleviate the emergence of a new generation of mobile UGC services.

"In the next 2-3 years, following the dynamic of the 2010 soccer world cup, we expect to see the emergence of new advanced mobile UGC services featuring advanced streaming video, mobile advertising, location aware, and social networking capabilities" noted Blin.

The mobile UGC market is expected to grow, gearing up to the 2010 World Cup, which will be hosted in South Africa. By the end of 2013, the total South African mobile UGC revenue will reach a total of $476 million, up from $195 million in 2008.

To realize this potential, the South African mobile market must quickly overcome hurdles that include the small penetration of 3G handsets and services, the lack of robust content filtering capabilities, and the large proportion of low-income customers. Other issues include illiteracy, the myriad of official languages, and the lack of robust mobile entertainment platforms, among others. The report details these hurdles as well what carriers and third-party companies are doing to meet their associated challenges.

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