The Hindu Business Line : What's on your mobile?

The last few months have seen the launches of Hungama's Don video game, ESPN Mobile, Star 7827 `Voice' and Barbie in the 12 Dancing Princesses. The mobile content market is expected to grow from Rs 558 crore in 2005 to Rs 1,802 crore by 2007, according to the Internet and Mobile Association of India. Yet the format of such content is still largely centred on voice or SMS, services that do not require GPRS-enabled phones. While mobile phone ownership in India is growing at a record pace, Internet connectivity is not. So even though ESPN Mobile offers sports content in voice, video, text, SMS and games, it expects its voice and SMS services to be the main attractions.

"Voice and SMS are going to be the biggest drivers for content," says Sricharan Iyengar, Business Head-New Media, ESPN Software. "There is not much we can do with streaming and video. Video clips are currently restricted to one-and-a-half or two minutes, and no longer, because of the slow download times."

The same rationale saw Star India launch Star 7827 Voice in August. The mobile audio entertainment service is the only interactive voice response platform that provides TV and movie content on a daily basis, with mobile jockeys presenting fresh content every time consumers make a call. The service offers the `two-minute audiosode,' which is a two-minute audio version of an episode of a TV show. Subscribers can also listen to jokes or devotional content.

Responses to the service have been encouraging over the first two months. According to a report on Moneycontrol.com, Star 7827 has logged over two million minutes of usage, with almost 50 per cent of BSNL users calling over three times.

However, a few content providers have chosen to go the GPRS route despite the lack of bandwidth. Mattel Toys India's Barbie in the 12 Dancing Princesses content includes wallpapers, animations, themes, various ring tones and video clips. There are plans to launch a series of mobile games as well, all of which require GPRS capabilities.

Then there are video games for mobile phones such as Hungama Mobile's Don game.

Don is the first multi-player game based on a movie in India. While admitting mobile gaming isn't widespread in India at the moment, Saleem Mobani, COO of Hungama Mobile, thinks it won't be long before it is.

"Mobile gaming will be the story of the second half of 2007," Mobani said. "What will happen is that broadband will explode but the explosion will happen on your handheld device, which is your mobile phone."

Mobani feels the increased sophistication of cell phones means games played on mobile phones will offer a similar experience as playing games on a computer.

"The quality of colour is approaching the level of PCs," he said. "The newer phones have more processing power than the old 386s and 486s (computer models). With the screen becoming richer, the quality is going to be better."

Mobani's forecast for mobile gaming should be aided by the advent of 3G (third generation) technologies in India in the second half of 2007. These technologies offer huge capacity and broadband capabilities. The services associated with the technology allow for the simultaneous transfer of voice and non-voice data and, perhaps most importantly, 3G technologies provide higher data transfer rates at lower incremental cost than 2G.

Therefore 3G technologies provide more opportunities for streaming content at lower costs. Still Mobani sees a need for content providers to generate an advertising-based revenue stream.

"You need to go into ad-funded mobile services," he said. "For example, when you use Google to search, you don't pay money. You need an advertising model to develop these tools."

Mobani also said better search and discovery tools were necessary if content was to develop to its full extent in India. According to him, better search and technology tools would allow users to find new content more efficiently, thereby spurring the growth of still more content.

"All of this happens in phases," Mobani said. "There were times when the English Premier league had no flavour in India. As disposable income rises, more and more niche content will spring up. Search and discovery will play a key role in discovering that content."

That is exactly what Hutchison Essar and Microsoft Corp have come together to do.

The two companies recently agreed in principle to work together to provide mobile search and other key Windows Live services to Hutch's subscriber base of over two crore.

When completed, the service will allow Hutch's Indian customers to search for and access mobile content on the Internet through a one-stop integrated search powered by Windows Live Search.

That isn't all either. Microsoft and Hutch will be also be creating an advertising revenue model that will allow advertisers and content partners to reach mobile customers by using a paid search service.

There is one final step Mobani feels is necessary before mobile phones can truly begin to offer well-rounded content.

"People need to develop a mobile lifestyle," Mobani said. "Once you reach the stage where the mobile becomes a part of your lifestyle and does not remain a gadget, people will ask what more can I do with it. You have to make the phone as easy to use as Google has made search easy to use. You need good ease of discovery. When a farmer in Nashik can find out the weather information for tomorrow on his phone, then a mobile lifestyle has arrived."

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