Mobile Value Added Services in India 2014

India houses 811.6 bn cellular subscribers. This huge subscriber base is split in 66:34 between rural and urban users respectively. With falling prices of mobile voice calls and text messages, telecom operators are turning to additional services which are offered to customers; such services are called Mobile Value Added Services or MVAS. With diverse demography, lifestyle and consumer preferences amongst urban, sub-urban and rural consumers across the country, MVAS are destined to generate high returns, if deployed correctly. World's third largest sector, Indian Telecom sector is betting big on MVAS segment with wide variety of products in variable price range. MVAS adoption is polished to increase by manifold with increasing numbers of mobile devices and rising demand for mobile contents across India.

Rise in disposable income has revolutionized consumer's buying and spending trend towards PC, mobile devices, communication equipments and services. It has catalyzed the trend of smartphone & featurephone which enhances the scope for MVAS with mobile apps and rich mobile content. "Despite of low ARPU in India, telecom operators will earn significant amount of revenue through various segments of MVAS" says Mr. Kalyan Banga, Product Manager at Netscribes.

The report begins with ‘Introduction' section covering overview of Mobile Value Added Services which provides basic idea of the segment, characteristics of MVAS products and fundamental MVAS Value Chain which describes the basic flow of MVS services from content owner or VAS service provider to end-user.

The ‘Market Overview' section elaborates global & domestic market state of MVAS. It is accompanied by a plethora of statistical information regarding major MVAS segments in various countries including in India, such as global trend, demand in various countries, revenue generated from MVAS in the said countries, domestic market size of MVAS and projection of the same in the coming years and other related information. The India section also elaborates on major MVAS components and revenue sharing model of the same. Major MVAS delivery platforms are also covered in the section with details regarding each of the components' cost, application and usage trends. "Analysis show, SMS is the most popular delivery platform in India due to its reach, convenience of usage and wide acceptability" noted Kalyan. The section ends with SWOT analysis of the Indian MVAS market.

It is followed by ‘Scope in India' section where potential verticals for MVAS products in India are elaborated. Specific verticals have been highlighted with information regarding each of their market state and opportunity areas for MVAS. The section continues with ‘Vendor Opportunity' stressing on specific prospective segments and areas for MVAS. The section consists of statistical charts and pictorial representation for better understanding.

The report continues with ‘Drivers & Challenges' section elaborating the major furtherance & impediments for MVAS market in India. Both the ‘drivers' and 'challenges' are equally stressed upon to provide clear idea regarding the probable obstacles and rewards in the line of business and help vendors take necessary measures. "MVAS consumption is poised to increase by manifold as 3G data tariffs across the country fall to an affordable level, including for the rural subscribers" added Kalyan. 3G network in India is at a growth phase currently wherein adoption has slowly started picking up along with MVAS product consumption, mutually benefiting each other to grow significantly. Primarily, 2G platforms are used for most MVAS services at present because of its prevalence and major adoption across India.

In the ‘Major MVAS Players' section, the key mobile value added service providers are profiled. It provides information such as corporate & business highlights covering operational & recent information regarding each company's contact information, location, key product and service offerings and key contacts. It also provides financial performance for a period of time including revenue and profit, key ratios, financial summary and key financial performance indicators. Key business segment and key geographic segment for each player are provided as well to provide further clear idea regarding the companies.

Next the recent developments and prominent trends in the market are illuminated under ‘Trends & Developments' section.

The report concludes with the section ‘Strategic Recommendation' which is derived after a comprehensive analysis of the market state & scope. It suggests key strategic moves which can help enhance and accelerate adopting of MVAS. "Focus should be on rural and sub-urban consumers, with MVAS products catering to their needs and preferences", said Kalyan.