Mobile VAS market in India to touch $9.5 in 2015

Wipro, IAMAI report says mEntertainment to continue to be the largest contributor to MVAS revenues

The mobile value added services (MVAS) market in India is estimated to reach $9.5 billion in 2015, at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 25 per cent since 2012, according to a research conducted by Wipro in association with the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI).

The MVAS market in India stood at around $4.9 billion.

The report was prepared following an evaluation of over 450 consumers and MVAS providers in India to identify the major drivers and barriers of the Indian MVAS market.

The research that was focused on the mEducation, mEntertainment, mFinance and mHealth application areas found that there is pent up market demand from consumers for sophisticated mobile services in India.

“While the basic informational mobile services are set to decline in India, we have found that India’s consumers will increasingly purchase enriched and transformational education, health, finance and entertainment services,” said Ayan Mukerji, Senior VP, Global Head - Media and Telecom, Wipro Technologies.

The research found that mEntertainment is the largest contributor to operators’ MVAS revenues and provides significant opportunities in vernacular content, on-demand music and video content and live TV shows and events. On the other hand, mEducation can play a key role in expanding the reach and quality of education in India.

According to the report, mHealth has also the potential to improve healthcare access and affordability in India especially through remote diagnostics, chronic disease management and maternal care.

The report, however, said that the industry requires a collaborative effort across mobile network operators, telecom equipment vendors and mobile service content providers to realize the market’s full potential.

“So far, this market has been hampered by a lack of services innovation. By forging mutually agreeable partnerships, we can improve customisation and localisation of content and create services with a compelling consumer value proposition,” said Subho Ray, President, IAMAI.