Music, gambling, games and adult content will help create a $42.8 billion market globally by 2010 -- Consumers are increasingly using their mobile phones to play music and games, gamble and access adult content, opening up lucrative new revenue streams for the mobile and content industries, according to a major strategic research report to be published next month. MOBILE ENTERTAINMENT, written by Informa Telecoms & Media over the last six months, predicts that the global market for mobile entertainment will be worth $42.8 billion by 2010. The report explores the entertainment sectors that are driving growth � including music, gambling, games video and TV, and adult content � and identifies the opportunities, challenges and threats the industry faces if the mobile entertainment market is to reach its full potential. Emerging new markets such as mobile TV, user generated services and personalisation (graphics and visual themes) are forecast to contribute a further $11 billion in revenues by 2010 as the market develops and expands.
The global smartphone market closed 2025 with a story less about recovery and more about transformation. Premium product, ecosystem lock-in, and manufacturing scale are now the forces shaping competition. For business and technology leaders, the latest IDC market study data confirms that smartphones remain a critical indicator of consumer demand, supply chain health, and AI commercialization at the edge. Smartphone Market Development Global smartphone shipments grew 2.3 percent year-over-year in Q4 2025, reaching 336.3 million units and bringing full-year volumes to 1.26 billion units — a modest 1.9 percent annual increase, according to IDC. This smartphone growth emerged despite a memory shortage crisis, tariff volatility, supply chain disruption, and macroeconomic headwinds. What stabilized demand? Two factors: sustained growth in premium devices and strong foldable momentum, combined with accelerated purchases as consumers bought ahead of anticipated price increases. Buyers weren...