Mobile devices spur growth of Internet service providers

As per the estimates of US-based International Data Corporation, the number of people accessing the Net with mobile devices will double from 600 mn in 2010 to 1.2 bn in 2014

Gone are the days of personal computers. Mobile devices are set to outpace them in the next 3-4 years. Particularly so in accessing the Net.

In fact, Yahoo! India research and development head, Hari Vasudev, says the next billion new-to net-users in emerging countries are likely to get their first taste of the Internet through the mobile phone rather than a traditional PC. So, mobile is incredibly important to our growth strategy, he said.

As per the estimates of US-based International Data Corporation, the number of people accessing the Net with mobile devices will double from 600 million in 2010 to 1.2 billion in 2014.

For instance, today, there are 300 million monthly visitors to Yahoo!s mobile services, 100 million more than in December, last year. On a year-on-year basis, the number of mobile users on the Yahoo! network has grown 54 per cent.

According to Vasudev, from a portable calling device, the mobile phone has become a consumption device with a wide reach. In the world of smart phones, people are using apps as a proxy for search. They are forming daily habits that integrate Internet use into the most basic everyday activities. It seems only natural that your mobile phone should help you out with local weather, post photos, pay your bills and book your movie tickets.

This, in turn, is spurring the growth of an entire ecosystem of developers, mobile entrepreneurs and service providers who are eager to serve this growing tribe. In the last few months, Yahoo! also has back to back product updates like Y! Mail, a new iOS app for Flickr and a brand new weather application.

We are making great progress in mobile by thinking big, starting small and ensuring that the products we launch and update are of high quality, Vasudev said.

As a part of its effort to understand the growing needs of mobile users, he said Yahoo! has given each employee smart phones that will help them form the insights that they need to see innovative opportunities for its products.