India Mobile Gaming Market Is On Track to Expand 700% by 2010

By Pyramid Research

According to a recent Pyramid Research survey of mobile phone users across the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) countries and the U.K., India ranked as the top mobile game market. Of the 355 respondents in India that identified themselves as mobile data users, 32% said that they play mobile games monthly, exceeding the UK mark of 15%.

“Almost a third of Indian mobile data users were restricted from mobile gaming by a lack of sophisticated handset availability,” says Pyramid Research Senior Analyst Nick Holland. Handsets lag behind users’ desire for data capabilities; 94% of mobile handsets in India operate on either GSM or CDMA One standards, both with minimal data capabilities. With the rollout of new handsets and networks, Pyramid Research believes the mobile gaming market could expand 700% by 2010.

“Also noteworthy is the level of traction that occurs with India’s mobile gamers” adds Holland. “Respondents from other countries that tried mobile gaming just once ranged between 8% and 20%; in India this figure stands at 3.9%.” This indicates that subscribers in India are far more enthusiastic about mobile gaming than subscribers surveyed elsewhere and once they have tried it, they tend to get hooked. “It would be wise for manufacturers and carriers to focus attention on handsets specifically designed for gaming and on the development of gaming content, particularly if it is custom-made for the Indian market,” concludes Holland.

About Pyramid Research’s BRIC Mobile Data Adoption Study
The BRIC Mobile Data Adoption Study helps quantify the mobile data market opportunity by assessing current consumer adoption levels and usage patterns for mobile data services.. Consisting of over 2500 interviews with wireless subscribers across the BRIC region and the U.K., the study gauges current mobile data usage habits, content preferences and price elasticity for new services. It helps vendors, mobile operators and content owners accurately size market demand and develop service offerings, price points and distribution channels to increase mobile data usage with current and future subscribers.

Gambling on Mobile Phones - Beyond Talk

By Gaming Industry Insights (gamingindustrystocks.blogspot.com)

As the mobile industry continues to soar, the applications and capabilities of handheld devices are evolving significantly. This evolution in my opinion is taking consumers further and further away from voice services.

Let's take a look at what is happening...In terms of gaming, mobile phones and subscriber plans now offer access to a plethora of games to fill your time, which since you are on the go is already a precious resource. Gambling, especially with the surge in popularity of Texas Holdem Poker, has allowed the obsessive nature of betting and casino life to flood the mobile arena. If gambling is not your ‘cup of tea' then perhaps you are one of the growing casual gamers who are enjoying a burst onto the scene of simplistic yet equally addicting game titles such as 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire', 'Tetris' and many others.

In addition, the accelerated growth of instant and text messaging has shifted how devices and users communicate. Handhelds have improved keyboard set-ups to make messaging easy to utilize, and consumers have become much more comfortable with the technology in part because it has been around for a while now and in part because of the popularity of messenger programs on the PC.

Devices have also embraced email, which has become the preferred choice of many for communication for businesses and consumers alike. The carriers are doing their part to promote data over voice with more affordable data plans and an increased number of downloads available to their subscribers from games, and ring tones to mobile search technology. This brings me back to my original point - with all the functionality and efficiency of data related services and mobile devices - who has time to talk?

Telephone used for gambling

Telephone Use, originally uploaded by John Carleton.

"All patrons who use a private cellular telephone, a similar mobile communication unit, or public telephone at Bay Meadows are advised that the use of such equipment is allowed for lawful personal and/or business purposes only. Patrons are cautioned that the use of such equipment for the purpose of enganging in any form of illegal wagering or transmission of odds, race results, or related gambling information is strictly prohibited and may be a violation of U.S. Code (Title 18, Section 1084) and the law of California and is strictly prohibited as a matter of track policy."