GPS phone sales will grow in 2009

ABI Research says shipments of GPS-enabled mobile phones will continue to grow throughout the current economic downturn. Although global mobile shipments are expected to drop by up to 5% in 2009, 240 million GPS-equipped phones will be shipped; an increase of 6.4% over 2008. By 2014, the company reckons 9 of every 10 smartphones will contain GPS, compared with one in three last year. [Press release]

3G, smartphones and dongles will help sales in 2009

Although the mobile phone industry saw just 7% annual growth in 2008 - and a 5% year-on-year drop in device shipments is expected to be shown in the final quarter - ABI Research says there are still a few rays of sunshine (their words, not mine) for 2009. Sales of 3G devices worldwide are expected to exceed 50% of all mobile phones in 2009, with smartphone sales also expected to grow along with USB modems. [Press release]

Mobile social networking use will become less passive

Today's mobile social network users are mainly checking messages, updates and comments rather than posting photos or comments themselves, according to a recent study by ABI Research. However, the company says this pattern is changing as more consumers have access to smarter phones and social network applications that are easier to use. Currently over 60% of mobile social network users are mainly checking for messages or comments, with approximately 17% of users checking in at least once a day. [Press release]

Mobile Messaging continues to grow

ABI Research says there's no sign of a slow-down in the growth of Mobile Messaging Services despite the current tough economic times. They reckon global revenue from mobile messaging services will grow from $151 billion this year to over $212 billion by 2013. [Press release]

82 million location-aware mobile social networkers by 2013

Research company ABI Research says there'll be 82 million people using location-based mobile social networking services by 2013. [Press release]

Mobile ads work better with incentives

Who'd have thought it, eh? Customers who receive ads on the mobile phones are more likely to respond if they're given an incentive. That's the finding of a new report from ABI Research, which reckons around 37% of those who have received text message advertising say they'd respond to the ad if offered an incentive such as a money-off coupon or free download, compared with 11% who wouldn't be swayed by an incentive. [Press release via MarketWatch.com]

140 million mobile social networking users by 2013

ABI Research says more than 140 million subscribers will be using social networks on mobile devices by 2013, generating subscription revenues worth over $410 million. Apparently subscriber numbers are expected to start accelerating in three or four years' time due to the potential populariy of social networking in emerging markets such as Brazil, Russia, India and China. [Press release]

SMS still big earner

Text messaging is still the biggest revenue generator of all mobile messaging services - and it will remain so for several years, according to new figures from ABI Research. They say SMS will account for 83% of all mobile messaging revenue until 2013, when it'll provide networks with $177 billion worldwide. The company also pointed out differences in the ways text messaging is used worldwide: North America and Europe have the highest messaging ARPUs, Asia-Pacific subscribers sign up for the most SMS alert services, and Latin Americans are heavy SMS users but prefer pay-as-you-go for all messaging services. [Press release]

Europeans want femtocells... once they understand them

40% of Europeans would be interested in buying a femtocell in 2009 to improve mobile coverage at home, according to a survey conducted by ABI Research for Motorola. Over three-quarters of respondents didn't know what femtocells were but many became interested once the technology was explained. The highest response was from Poland, where 67% of respondents said they would definitely or probably buy a femtocell within the next 12 months. The response in the UK was 34%. [Sources: Telecoms.com; silicon.com]

More than 550 million GPS mobiles worldwide by 2012

ABI Research says over 550 million GPS-equipped mobile handsets will be produced worldwide by 2012. It says GPS is already a feature of most 3G handsets and smartphones - and it predicts we'll start soon seeing GPS included in standard high-end GSM phones. The company says the take-up of GPS phones is likely to be boosted by social networking functions, not just by navigation features. [Press release]

Mobile Search will boost Mobile Advertising growth

ABI Research says mobile search will become increasingly popular, just as it has on desktop PCs. Its latest report says advertising on mobile internet search results will cause the mobile advertising market to expand from $813 million in 2008 to $5 billion by 2013. [Press release]

1.5 billion mobiles with web browsers by 2013

By 2013 there'll be 1.5 billion mobile phones with web browsers, according to ABI Research. Most of this worldwide growth will come from browsers that offer full internet access, with this in "open-internet browser" segment growing from 76 million in 2007 to nearly 700 million browsers in 2013.

Mobile location-based services worth £6.6 billion by 2013

ABI Research says Mobile Location Based Services (LBS) are starting to grow, thanks to the incorporation of GPS capabilities in mobile phones. They reckon the revenue from LBS will reach $13.3 billion worldwide by 2013, up from around $515 million in 2007. Personal navigation is expected to remain the most popular service, although friend finding is expected to become increasingly popular. [Press release]

One in three handsets to be a smartphone by 2013

Researchers at ABI Research say the smart phone market will treble from 10% of mobile phone purchases in 2007 to 31% in 2013. A new report from ABI explains the predicted growth by pointing to the networks' drive to increase data revenue and the trend among manufacturers to equip more phones with 'smart' operating systems. [Press release]

4G customers to exceed 90 million by 2013

There'll be more than 90 million people using 4G technology for their mobile services by 2013, according to ABI Research.

Mobile marketing to grow over ten times by 2013

ABI Research says mobile marketing has taken off in Western Europe and is now beginning to grow in North America. It says revenue from the industry, which was worth $1.8 billion worldwide in 2007, will grow to over $24 billion in 2013.

Mobile video messaging worth $10 billion in 5 years' time

The money made from mobile video messaging services is expected to rise by an average of 60% per year between now and 2012, according to ABI Research, hitting $10 billion (£4.9 billion) in 5 years' time. It says mobile video messaging is is in the right place to take advantage of increased mobile device capabilities and consumers’ desire to stay in touch using more than just voice. [Press release]