Smartphone users could soon be bombarded with ads before they can access Facebook.
That’s according to network giant Alcatel-Lucent who say ad sponsored mobile services are about to be unleashed in OZ, an exec told The Australian.
In other words, iPhone and Android smartphone users could soon be forced to eyeball ads before they are permitted access services like Facebook, Twitter and Google.
YouTube already have ads on their videos which begin automatically which the viewer can opt out of after several seconds.
Alcatel-Lucent software service business VP Adolfo Hernandez says the company is “talking about it to service providers in Australia and New Zealand” as well as ad agencies keen to make a buck on the back of massive mobile penetration, about its newly developed mobile ad platform.
And consumer electronics brads also cited their keens to get in on the act, Hernandez indicated.
This comes as carriers are increasingly looking for way to gain more from the massive use of smartphones in Australia, where penetration has reached 52% – one of the highest in the world.
But the advent of instant free messaging services offered by Facebook and apps like Whatsapp, as well as calls services like Viper and Skype, are all knawing away at telco’s traditional revenue streams.
However, Telstra said it had “nothing planned at this stage” on the mobile ad’s front when contacted by SmartHouse.
Read: OZ Retailers Lag In M- Revolution: Google
But there is plenty room for mobile ad’s in Australia, it seems.
“The mobile revolution isn’t ‘coming’ – it’s already happened,” Jason Pellegrino, Head of Mobile Ads, Google, said recently.
However, Google warned Aussie businesses were falling behind the M-revolution, with 79% lacking a mobile-optimised website.
And mobile carriers globally are struggling to combat the negative impact mobile instant messaging services (MIMS) are having on SMS revenues, warned Ovum analyst Mark Ranson, this week.
“The threat of MIMS is real, but the next generation of messaging services also poses an opportunity for carriers prepared to adapt to the new climate. MNOs have co-operated in the past to create interoperability in SMS, and interoperability will remain crucial to the success of the next generation of messaging services.”
And Ovum is calling on telcos to develop their own “post-SMS messaging services” en bande, since launching standalone MIMS is the wrong strategy in most cases, citing South Korea’s experience.
“Unfortunately for carriers, SMS cannot compete with the features and user experience that smartphone applications offer, and MIMS usage levels are therefore likely to continue to rise,” Ranson added.
“Operators should co-operate with each other and also with handset vendors to help combat OTT player messaging services. The resulting interoperability will be necessary to generate the scale needed to compete with leading OTT players.”
