UGC services are the future for mobile industry

Telecommunication providers attending an SAS-sponsored seminar have identified user-generated content (UGC) services for mobile phones as the next major development in the industry.

At the ITP 'Innovation in Mobile Services' seminar, 68 per cent of attendees believed the projected increase of mobile handsets for social networking applications, such as Facebook and Myspace, would provide a key focus for mobile operators.

A further 60 per cent believe that console-type video games for mobile phones will be introduced within the next two years, while mobile television and video-on-demand were also identified as key functions for future mobile handsets.

An important challenge to this development was identified at the seminar, as 50 per cent of attendees believed that limited handset capabilities were the biggest obstacle to the advancement of mobile internet and other applications.

User-generated content is not a high-demand data service, but console-type video games and mobile television are highly demanding and require a large amount of processing power.

Apart from limited battery power and bandwidth capability, the size of the mobile device limits its processing power, which is a key concern for mobile operators.

Tajinder Jagdev, head of communications, media and entertainment practice at SAS UK, said: 'The seminar indicated that the future of mobile technology lies in giving the user a more integrated experience that assimilates the functions of a PC and other entertainment devices on a mobile handset.

'A survey of the attendees revealed that the majority believe mobile phones are heading towards a new phase, which allows the user to have the same experiences as they do on a PC and games console on their mobile phones.

'Phones equipped with mobile television and video-on-demand capabilities were also popular suggestions, as the future lies in portable entertainment.

Jagdev added: 'In addition, quality of service was identified as one of the most fundamental aspects underpinning successful innovation in the mobile industry.

'Currently, mobile operators are restricted by a number of problems, for example, limited mobile handsets and mobile connectivity.

'In order to achieve an end-to-end consumer experience, mobile operators need to address these problems and identify how best to capitalise on the innovations that involve higher processing speeds and high data demand services.

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