WebProNews

Social networking services will control a developing market for mobile user-generated content, according to a new report from Juniper Research, "Mobile User-Generated Content: Social Networking, Dating and Personal Content Delivery."

Worldwide, end-user generated revenues from social networking, dating and personal content delivery services will increase from $572 million in 2007 to over $5.7 billion in 2012, with social networking making up 50 percent of the total by the end of 2012.

According to report author Dr Windsor Holden, "Even though social networking sites are in their infancy, the exponential growth experienced by a number of mobile service providers - in some cases achieved primarily through viral marketing - would seem to affirm that there is huge potential in this area. The key challenge now is for those providers to monetize that interest."

Holden went on to say that, in the medium term, the largest levels of growth could occur in developing markets with limited fixed broadband access. "In these markets, the mobile phone is becoming the predominant means by which people access the Internet. Hence, the overwhelming majority of online social networking will be conducted via the handset rather than the PC."

The report also said that the number of active users of mobile social networking sites is expected to increase from 14 million in 2007 to almost 600 million in 2012. Mobile dating and chatroom services currently account for 57 percent of user-generated revenues, but this portion will fall to 21 percent by 2012 as other user-generated services become popular.