Mobile e-mail, sales force automation tools, mapping applications and Internet access -- these are all mobile data applications and services that make enterprise customers more efficient and improve their work quality.
According to a new report from ABI Research, mobile data applications and services used by business customers will generate over $100 billion in worldwide revenue by 2012.
Principal analyst Dan Shey comments, "The industry is at the cusp of some phenomenal growth for data applications and services delivered to the handset. Although voice will still generate the bulk of revenues from business customers, mobile data services revenues will become 26 percent of ARPUs by 2012, a 29 percent compound annual growth rate."
Business applications and services for the handset include communications, information access, computing, integrated information access & computing, and business process solutions. The communications category includes real-time communications and messaging.
Combined revenues from all mobile business categories (including voice services) will grow from $242 billion in 2007 to $389 billion by 2012, according to the latest ABI market assessment.
Information access & computing and business process solutions are relatively new categories of mobile applications and services for the commercial customer. These categories will experience the highest growth rates of all because they address needs specific to a business, an industry sector, or a functional area.
According to Shey, "Business functions and processes require different amounts of communications, computing and information access. Value chain players that participate in creating products with the right mix of these mobile capabilities will be riding a wave of growth for mobile solutions having CAGRs of between 80 and 90 percent."