Report says demand for mobile Web in the US is growing
Published November 9th, 2007 4:40 PM EST By Daniel GoldmanAccording to a research report by the Kelsey Group, Internet access on mobile phones is becoming increasingly popular in the United States (US).
“The Kelsey Group research with research partner ConStat indicates that 44.7 per cent of US mobile handset customers want an upgrade to “better” Internet access if they are going to spring for a new handset. Currently only 26 per cent of subscribers are signed up for mobile Internet access.”
“The combination of unlimited data plans and next-generation Internet-enabled mobile devices, like Apple’s iPhone, suggests mobile Web access will grow to become ubiquitous,” said Matt Booth, senior vice president and program director, Interactive Local Media, The Kelsey Group. “Growing mobile Internet usage and increased satisfaction with mobile Internet applications are among the converging factors that we believe point to a breakthrough year ahead for mobile ad adoption.”
So, people are looking for the Web on their phones. Now we all gotta tell them about Opera Mini. 
Read: US Mobile buyers want Internet ready phones (TelecomTV)
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Yes, we have to tell them about Opera Mini, but don’t forget that Mini is free, Opera Software needs people to be informed about Opera Mobile too, that one represents more money to Opera Software, and…who doesn’t need money ? We can’t wait to mozilla org to spread the word about minimo and again have more people using more Mozilla products than Opera products.
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“… US mobile search revenues are predicted to rise over the next 5-year period from US$33.2 million this year to $1.4 billion in 2012, representing a compound annual growth rate of 112 per cent… ”
I wonder what’s in it for Opera… peanuts as usual, or 10% share ?
@Andres Ruiz,
indeed, leaving customers in the dark, this long, simply ain’t good… Opera, you gotta get Mobile 9 out there too.
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I doubt that actual CUSTOMERS (as in companies) are left in the dark…
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Well, the B2B business was a huge disappointment in Q2. Opera preinstalled shipments down, in a fast growing market.
Facts are, Nokia got 40% share, WM got PIE, and NetFront got a relationship with SE… Only a focus on B2C can tap into that customer base.
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Andres, Opera makes money also from the free Opera Mini (remember, we have a search deal with Yahoo). Second, we not just about money; we truly want to make the Web accessible everywhere, even if it means we don’t make a profit on it. There aren’t many browser companies that do what Opera does (i.e. bringing the Web everywhere, on devices, gadgets, mobile phones, etc), and we take pride in it.
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I’d be surprised if the motive was making the web accessible everywhere even if there’s no profit.
Is that like the old dotCOM model of sell at a loss per unit but make a profit on the volume?
I’m guessing profit isn’t the highest motive, but you need to make money on it or there isn’t any point: your employer isn’t a charity. Or are they?
I’d imagine even a small slice of that ever increasing search pie will be quite pleasant enough for the company and shareholders though.
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Investor:
Sony Ericsson is increasingly moving over to UIQ:
http://www.opera.com/products/mobile/smallscreen/products/uiq/
“Opera is the default browser for Symbian OS communicator devices and is bundled with the operating system.”
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I share Daniel’s sentiment. We want everyday people using whichever version(s) of Opera work best in their respective lifestyles. Don’t choose a product because you think it will make Opera money; let us worry about the that - it shouldn’t be a burden on our everyday users. If you want to help out, you can always help us spread the word about Opera.
Yes, of course we want to make money as a company, but since we make consumer software, one can’t realistically separate the goals of A) doing well financially as a company and B) meeting the needs of our users. It’s a positive feedback loop: A enables B, and B enables A.
Working at Opera, I know firsthand that we have a lot of smart and practical business people who make sure we have good short-term and long-term strategies to do well as a company, but we also have a ton of idealists (including our top executives) who care passionately about the future of the Web, everyone who uses it, and giving inexpensive access to those who currently don’t.