Yahoo! is banking on mobile devices for future growth, particularly in Asia, as consumers leapfrog cumbersome computers to access the Internet via feature-packed handheld gadgets.
The US Internet giant believes "smartphones" with better operating systems, high-speed Internet networks, falling prices and a plethora of content will fuel the mobile boom.
Markets in India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia will lead the way, Yahoo! executives said at a telecom trade fair in Singapore.
"We see a significant number of people who will have their first Internet experience on their mobile phone," said Matthias Kunze, Asia-Pacific managing director for Yahoo! Mobile.
In Indonesia, mobile data subscribers have outnumbered users of personal computers, Kunz told AFP yesterday on the sidelines of the CommunicAsia 2010 technology conference and exhibition.
India has about 40-50 million PCs but this is far fewer than the estimated 550 million mobile subscribers, of whom around 20 million use their handheld gadgets to access the Internet.
"We expect mobile data users (in India) to surpass PC users in the next two to three years," said Kunze.
"For a company like Yahoo! mobile is actually critical in its strategy because if we're not on mobile, we will miss the boat," he added
He said mobile phones play a crucial role because they are the most ubiquitous devices in the world.
"Maybe there are only more toothbrushes in the world than mobile phones," Kunze said.
