According to a report by Pyramid Research, sms revenue in Africa and the Middle East is set equal nearly US$12 billion by 2013.
This means that sms revenue is expected to double over the next four year period, far exceeding revenues from rich media applications such as mms, or broadband applications. In 2008, SMS accounted for 60% of mobile revenues in the Middle East and Africa.
Pyramid Research analyst and author of the report, Badii Kechiche, said: “The significance of this development goes beyond the revenue opportunity coming directly from peer-to-peer SMS,”
“Several operators have found ways to capitalize on subscribers’ new familiarity with SMS to increase not only their data ARPS, but their voice ARPS, too. The growing popularity of SMS within the region will allow operators to use SMS-based value-added services, sometimes in conjunction with instant-message USSD services, to boost voice ARPS among the mass base of lower-income subscribers.”
Kechiche added that investment in mobile infrastructure is imperative to support the growth of mobile subscriptions in the Middle East and African regions.
