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A Study of the Mobile Value Added
Services (MVAS) Market in India
October 2007




               © 2007 Boston Analytics. All Rights Reserved.
Table of Contents

The Indian Telecom Industry .................................................................................................... 6
   Evolution ........................................................................................................................................................... 6
   Key Performance Indicators ............................................................................................................................ 8
   The Changing Landscape ................................................................................................................................ 9
Mobile Value Added Services in India ................................................................................... 11
   Industry Definition .......................................................................................................................................... 11
   Growth Drivers ............................................................................................................................................... 12
   Market Size...................................................................................................................................................... 12
The MVAS Business Model .................................................................................................... 15
   Industry Value Chain ...................................................................................................................................... 15
MVAS Platforms ....................................................................................................................... 18
   MVAS on Data/Text and Voice Platforms ..................................................................................................... 18
Revenue Sharing in MVAS ...................................................................................................... 19
   Current Revenue Sharing Arrangements ..................................................................................................... 19
Barriers to Growth of MVAS in India ..................................................................................... 24
The Future of MVAS in India ................................................................................................... 26
The Way Forward ..................................................................................................................... 29




                                                                                   2
Table of Exhibits

Exhibit 1: Mobile Subscribers and Per Capita GDP in India (2002–2007)........................... 7
Exhibit 2: Mobile Call Tariffs in India (1999–2005) ................................................................ 8
Exhibit 3: Mobile Revenues in India (Sept. 2005–Sept. 2006) .............................................. 9
Exhibit 4: Mobile ARPU in India (Sept. 2005–Sept. 2006) ................................................... 10
Exhibit 5: Evolution of MVAS in India................................................................................... 11
Exhibit 6: Revenue from MVAS Segments during 2004–2009(E) ...................................... 13
Exhibit 7: Different VAS Categories...................................................................................... 14
Exhibit 8: MVAS Value Chain ................................................................................................ 15
Exhibit 9: Enterprise VAS Value Chain ................................................................................ 16
Exhibit 10: MVAS on Data/Text and Voice Platforms ......................................................... 18
Exhibit 11: Revenue Flow in Enterprise and Non-Enterprise MVAS ................................. 19
Exhibit 12: Competitive Landscape of the MVAS Industry ................................................ 20
Exhibit 13: Revenues Sharing Arrangements (Now and Future) ...................................... 26
Exhibit 14: Growth in Rural and Urban Mobile Subscriber Base ...................................... 28




                                                              3
Abstract

The Indian mobile telephony market has grown at a rapid pace in
the past six to seven years. Declining call tariffs in conjunction with
favorable regulatory policies have lead to a tremendous increase in
the subscriber base, crossing the 100 million mark in 2006. While
the growing subscriber base has positively impacted industry
revenues (which have risen consistently over the past few years),
operator margins also have shrunk, pulling down “Average
Revenue per User” (ARPU). As ARPU declines and voice gets
commoditized, the challenge is to retain customers, develop
alternative revenue streams, and create a basis for differentiation in
high-churn markets.

In the wake of changing industry markets, telecom operators are
looking at “Mobile Value Added Services” (MVAS) as the next wave
of growth, and a large chunk of revenues is expected to flow from
VAS in the near future. Market growth drivers on the supply side
include declining ARPU, brand differentiation needs, and growing
focus on entertainment-related content; demand-side drivers
include the booming Indian economy, increasing user comfort with
basic mobility services, personalization of content and devices and
cheaper handsets. From the early days of “Person-to-Person Short
Message Service” (P2P SMS), the industry has witnessed an
emergence of a growing portfolio of services including
graphics/wallpapers downloads, ringtones and caller ring back
tones (CRBT), SMS contests, and games. In India, the revenue
from MVAS (excluding P2P SMS) amounted to USD 43.8 M in
2004, and is expected to increase to USD 348.8 M in 2009, at a
compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of more than 50%.
Entertainment VAS is expected to drive the growth of the market
going forward with Video/TV and games registering the highest
growth rates among other segments in the near future.

The growth of industry also has led to the development of an
entirely new business eco-system: supporting industries such as
content development and aggregation. A typical value chain in the
MVAS industry encompasses content creators, providers,
aggregators, technology enablers, and operators. Given that the
industry is young and evolving, the rules of the game are yet to be
laid down. As a result, revenue sharing arrangements across the
MVAS value chain have emerged in favor of the operators.
Operators typically retain the largest chunk (around 60%) of
revenues, followed by 15% to 25% for content aggregators, and
10% to 15% for content creators. The share of operators is
expected to decline from the current 60% to 30% by 2010, with
other players across the value chain accounting for almost 70%, as
compared to 40% at present. The revenue sharing model in the
future in India is expected to replicate the model seen in developed
MVAS markets such as China, Japan, and Europe.




              4
The future implementation of MVAS in India will encompass several
new and exciting areas such as mobile internet, location-based
services, and regional content-based services. Maturity of the
MVAS market also will give impetus to the market for M-commerce
applications in India. Favorable government policies and advances
in technology are encouraging providers across the MVAS value
chain to explore innovative ways to address the mobile telephony
needs of India’s rural population.

Boston Analytics research indicates that the Indian MVAS space
will witness a high growth trajectory, creating tremendous
opportunities for all stakeholders. However, all stakeholders across
the value chain need to work collaboratively to overcome growth
barriers and create an ecosystem that generates fair rewards for all.

The key challenges are to establish the required content
authentication standards, and enact laws pertaining to copyright
protection. Further, a transparent revenue-sharing arrangement set
out under the aegis of an industry apex body such as the Telecom
Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) would bring more clarity to the
potential rewards for all stakeholders, thereby ensuring equitable
participation across the value chain. As far as content is concerned,
there is a need to go beyond music, music, and sports, to cater to
the needs of all consumer segments.

This research report explores the Indian MVAS marketplace and
seeks to provide a systemic view of the industry, while addressing
issues across the MVAS value chain in India.




              5
Liberalization of the       The Indian Telecom Industry(1)
regulatory regime and
increasing competition in   Evolution
the last decade provided
                            The pre-1990s era witnessed the evolution of telephony and the
momentum to the Indian
                            strengthening of government presence in telephony, along with the
telecom industry            introduction of private capital into the manufacturing of telecom
                            equipment. A defining step for the industry was the setting up of the
                            Department of Telecommunications (DoT) in 1985. A year down the
                            line, the government also established Videsh Sanchar Nigam
                            Limited (VSNL) for international telephony, and Mahanagar
                            Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL) for telephony in metropolitan
                            areas.

                            The New Telecom Policy (NTP) 1994 proved to be a landmark step,
                            as it allowed the entry of private telephony operators into the
                            market. In 1994, the government set up the Telecom Regulatory
                            Authority of India (TRAI) to regulate the growing telecom sector in
                            India.

                            The year 1999 saw the launch of the NTP-99, which introduced a
                            revenue sharing system between the operators and the government
                            (in contrast to the prevailing license fee regime). GSM services
                            were also launched in this year, signaling the dawn of mobile
                            telephony.

                            The year 2000 witnessed the corporatization of DoT and the
                            establishment of the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL).
                            However, one of the most remarkable achievements of the Indian
                                                                  st
                            Telecom industry at the turn of the 21 century was the tremendous
                            growth of the wireless telephony market.

                            The DoT was the first formal body set up by the government with
                            the responsibility of handling issues relating to policy, coordination,
                            and licensing of various forms of telecommunication, including
                            telephone, telegraph, data, wireless, facsimile, telematic services,
                            and others.

                            The formation and subsequent capitalization of the DoT has
                            smoothened the functioning of BSNL by allowing a speedier
                            decision-making process, facilitated by minimal government
                            intervention. An example of the benefits derived is the growth in the
                            number of direct exchange lines by over 20% and the reduction in
                            the waiting list for telephones from over 4.0 M to around 3.3 M in
                            the first year after corporatization.




                                          6
Exhibit 1: Depicts the growth in the mobile subscriber base and per
Rising per capita GDP and
                            capita GDP in India from 2003–2007.
reduced call tariffs have
made mobile services more         Exhibit 1: Mobile Subscribers and Per Capita GDP in India
affordable in India, thus         (2003–2007)(A)1,(2)
pushing up the subscriber
                                                     40,000.0                                                                200.00
base                                                                                                           35,457.5
                                                                                                    32,062.1




                                                                                                                                      Number of subscribers (M)
                                                     32,000.0                          28,991.8                              160.00




                             Per Capita GDP (INR)
                                                                            26,090.8                             165.11
                                                                23,703.6
                                                     24,000.0                                                                120.00


                                                     16,000.0                                                                80.00
                                                                                                     90.14


                                                      8,000.0                               52.22                            40.00

                                                                             33.58
                                                          0.0     13.00                                                      0.00
                                                                 2003         2004          2005     2006        2007


                                                                     Per Capita GDP (INR)           No. of Subscribers (M)



                                                     The Indian mobile telephony market has grown at a tremendous
                                                     pace in the past five years, from 13 M subscribers in 2003 to
                                                     almost 165 M in 2007, registering an annual growth rate of
                                                                            (2)
                                                     approximately 88.7% .
                                                     The widespread adoption of mobile telephony remained
                                                     unparalleled in scope to other segments of the Indian telecom
                                                     sector, driven by the ever increasing population of users who
                                                     chose personal mobility. For the first time in 2003, the mobile
                                                     subscriber base grew more than the fixed line subscriber base
                                                     (in absolute terms) signaling wider acceptance of mobile
                                                     telephony.
                                                     The call tariffs have been reduced at a rate of more than
                                                     26% since 1999, from INR 6.70 per minute in 1999 to INR 1.06
                                                     in 2005.
                                                     On the policy front, the introduction of the “Calling Party Pays”
                                                     regime in conjunction with the reduced call tariffs has
                                                     significantly reduced cost-in-use for mobile subscribers.




                            (A)
                                                    Figures are as of March of the respective years


                                                                 7
Exhibit 2: Depicts the decline in mobile call tariffs in India between
                                1999 and 2005(3)

                                 Exhibit 2: Mobile Call Tariffs in India (1999–2005)(3)



                                                                   6.70
                                                            7.00




                                  Call Tariffs (INR/min)
                                                            6.00                           Declining at 26.4% p.a.
                                                                          4.98
                                                            5.00
                                                                                 4.05
                                                            4.00
                                                                                        2.82
                                                            3.00
                                                            2.00                               1.55     1.34
                                                                                                                 1.06
                                                            1.00
                                                            0.00
                                                                   1999   2000   2001   2002   2003     2004    2005




                                                           The user base has been adding almost 4 million subscribers
                                                           per month on average, with the mobile subscriber base
                                                           crossing the 100 million mark in 2006(1).

                                Consequently, the contribution of the telecom sector to India’s GDP
                                increased from 1.5% in 2000 to 1.9% in 2006(4). This was in part
                                due to the liberalization of the foreign direct investment (FDI)
                                regime in India. The year 2003 saw a boost in the inflow of foreign
                                investment to this sector, with the FDI cap being raised from 49% to
                                74%.

                                Key Performance Indicators(4)
Improved quality and
increasing affordability have   In addition to the above, the following performance indicators are
                                indicative of the impressive performance of the Indian telecom
facilitated growth in usage
                                sector between 2000 and 2006:
and coverage of telecom
services
                                Quality: The quality of telephone services has improved
                                significantly over the years, as seen in a 23.8% reduction in faults
                                per 100 main lines during 2000–2006.

                                Affordability: A 45% decline in the average price basket for
                                residential use has made fixed telephony more affordable. India has
                                one of the lowest mobile tariffs in the world. The tariffs have
                                declined from USD 0.16/minute (INR 6.70/minute) in 1999 to USD
                                0.03/minute (INR 1.06/minute) in 2005(3).

                                Access: Coverage and usage of fixed telephony grew strongly, as
                                seen in the 40% growth in telephone main lines and 50% in
                                international voice traffic. The number of mobile subscribers per
                                1,000 people grew by a substantial 2000% during 2005–2006.


                                                                    8
Network:

                                    Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) as an alternative
                                    technology evolved during the period 2000–2006, with the
                                    country-wide network consisting of six players.
                                    The industry, initially characterized by fragmentation, has
                                    witnessed consolidation with a number of regional operators
                                    taken over by larger operators.

                                 The Changing Landscape
                                 The growing subscriber base has positively impacted industry
                                 revenues, which have risen consistently. Mobile revenues in India
                                 rose from USD 0.92 B (INR 40.1 B) in the quarter ended September
                                 2005 to USD 1.30 B (INR 60.3 B) a year later, registering a growth
                                 rate of 10.7%(5).


                                 Exhibit 3: Depicts the increasing revenues from Indian mobile
                                 telephony market (Sep 2005–Sep 2006)

                                  Exhibit 3: Mobile Revenues in India (Sep 2005–Sep 2006)(5)
While the growing
affordability of mobile
                                                                     65.0
                                     Mobile Revenues (INR Million)




services lead to a significant
                                                                                                                          60.3
growth in revenues,
operator margins declined                                                              Growing at 10.7% p.a.
by 68% (as compared to a                                             55.0
30% decline in call costs) in                                                                                  50.6
2005–2006

                                                                     45.0
                                                                                40.1         40.4       40.9



                                                                     35.0
                                                                            QE Sep ’05 QE Dec ’05 QE Mar ’06 QE Jun ’06 QE Sep ’06


                                 However, the flipside of the growth in the revenues as depicted
                                 above has been the declining Average Revenue Per User, or
                                 ARPU, which has declined at 2.7% on a quarter-by-quarter basis,
                                 from USD 8.58 (INR 375) in the quarter ended September 2005 to
                                 USD 7.21 (INR 335) a year later(5).




                                                                            9
Exhibit 4: Depicts the decline in the mobile ARPU in India on a
                                 quarter-by-quarter basis
The steep decline in               Exhibit 4: Mobile ARPU in India (Sep 2005–Sep 2006)(5)
operator margins also
pulled down the mobile
ARPU, which declined at a
rate of 10.97% between 2005                                      380      375




                                       Mobile ARPU/month (INR)
and 2006                                                                             370               Declining at 10.97% p.a.
                                                                 370

                                                                 360                            356

                                                                 350                                       347


                                                                 340                                                   335

                                                                 330
                                                                       QE Sep ’05 QE Dec ’05 QE Mar ’06 QE Jun ’06 QE Sep ’06




                                 While the decline in ARPU can be attributed to the marketing
                                 initiatives of telecom companies such as the “life-time incoming free
                                           2(B)
                                 scheme         ”, the market structure of the mobile telephony market in
                                 India has played a key role in altering the industry profit dynamics.
                                 The dominance of the pre-paid segment has created volume for the
                                 industry, but has put a downward pressure on tariffs. Further,
                                 customer retention has also become increasingly difficult, as loyalty
                                 is getting diluted given the low switching costs between service
                                            (6)
                                 providers .

                                 The constant decline in tariff structures over the past few years has
                                 lead to the creation of a large subscriber base, along with
                                 increasing “Minutes of Use” (MOUs) from the existing base.
As voice has become more
                                 However, the industry is approaching a threshold where MOUs no
commoditized, the challenge      longer will be elastic in responding to reduced rates(6).
is to retain customers,
develop alternative revenue      In the wake of the changing dynamics of the Indian telecom
streams, and create a basis      industry, mobile operators in India have been faced with two clear
for differentiation in a high-   challenges:
churn market
                                                             To retain customers in a predominantly pre-paid, high-churn
                                                             market
                                                             To develop alternative revenue streams and create a basis for
                                                             differentiation as voice becomes commoditized




                                 (B)
                                     The lifetime validity for incoming calls scheme refers to a scheme
                                 launched by national operators such as Airtel, Hutch, Idea Cellular, etc.
                                 where for a one-time payment (ranging between INR 900–1000 depending
                                 on the service provider), allows the user to receive incoming calls “free for
                                 a lifetime” on the condition that the user recharges the card once every six
                                 months.


                                                                         10
Mobile Value Added Services in India
Exhibit 5: Depicts the evolution of the MVAS industry in India (1999–2010E)

  Exhibit 5: Evolution of MVAS in India(7),(8)



                            1G                           2G                                2.5G                                3G                                  4G


                                   Basic Applications and Services                                         Innovative Applications and Services
                      500
                                                                           Market Size—2004                                                       Market Size—2009
                                   • Entry of key players                       $ 43.8 M                  Market CAGR 2004–2009: 50.9%                 $ 346.8 M
                      450            across the MVAS
                                     Value Chain                                                        MVAS at Present                                          MVAS in Future
                                                                                                            2.5G/3G                                                  3G/4G
                      400                                                                            Low/Medium-speed Mobile                                   High-speed Mobile
                                                                                                     Broadband Access                                          Broadband Access

                      350                                                                                                                                    Mobile TV        Full-motion
                                                                                                    Video clips      Truetones
                                                                                                                                                                                videos
MVAS Revenues ($ M)




                                                                                                                                                               Wireless
                      300                                                                            Low-end         Info-services                         Teleconferencing    Multi-player
                                                                                                      games                                                                   online gaming

                                                                                                     Lower ARPU, limited                                    • Launch of 3G/4G
                      250                                                                            revenues from MVAS               Video TV                technology to effect
                                                                                                                                                              manifold increase in
                                                                                                                                                              MVAS revenues
                      200                                                                                                     M-                            • ARPU increases as
                                                                                                                           commerce
                                                                                                                                                              revenues from MVAS
                                                                                                                 Caller                                       move up
                      150                                                                                      Ring-Back
                                                                                                                 Tones

                      100                                                                       Contests/Games                                                • Contribution to operator
                                                                                                                               • MVAS contributed 9-
                                                                                  Ring Tones/                                                                   revenues expected to
                                                                                                                                 10% of operator
                                                                                     Film
                                                                                                                                 revenues in 2006               increase to 20%
                       50                                             Graphics/   Video Clips
                                                      Information    Wallpapers
                                            SMS         Services
                       0
                            1990     2000         2001        2002        2003        2004         2005           2006     2007(E)     2008(E)   2009(E)
                                                                                          Year




                                                                              Industry Definition
Operators are therefore
looking towards MVAS to                                                           Mobile Value Added Services (MVAS) are those services that
provide growth impetus to                                                         are not part of the basic voice offer and are availed separately
mobile ARPU, and achieve                                                          by the end user. They are used as a tool for differentiation and
higher growth in mobile                                                           allow mobile operators to develop another stream of revenue(6).
revenues

                                                                              The nature of value added services changes over time. A VAS may
                                                                              become commonplace and commoditized such that it ceases to
                                                                              provide a basis for differentiation. For example, P2P SMS was the
                                                                              only form of VAS in the early days of adoption of mobile telephony
                                                                              in India. Given the current state of the industry P2P SMS has
                                                                              ceased to provide a meaningful tool for service differentiation, and
                                                                              therefore has not been included for calculating the market size for
                                                                              the purpose of this study(6).




                                                                                                     11
In addition to supply-side        Growth Drivers(6)
drivers (such as the declining
                                  Given the challenges posed by the Indian mobile telephony market
ARPU, brand differentiation
                                  as highlighted in the section above, MVAS is likely to become a tool
needs and growing focus on        for additional revenue, service differentiation, and customer
entertainment-related content),   retention. Telecom operators are looking at MVAS as the next wave
demand-side drivers (such         for growth and a large chunk of revenue is expected to flow in from
as the booming Indian             VAS in the near future. The growth in the market will be
economy, increasing user          propelled by operator initiatives, as well as by the following
comfort with basic mobility       macro-economic factors.
services, personalization of
content and devices, and          The booming Indian economy: India has emerged as one of the
cheaper handsets) are also        fastest growing economies in the world, with spending on
                                  infrastructure and consumption growing at a rapid pace. Growing
driving the growth of the
                                  employment opportunities have resulted in a significant increase in
market                            disposable income, leading to a growing acceptance of new
                                  technologies and expenditure on communication(6).

                                  Increasing user comfort with basic mobility services: The
                                  Indian mobile telephony market has attained critical mass due to
                                  the increasing affordability of mobile services, as well as the
                                  increasing comfort with basic mobility services. A large chunk of
                                  users are comfortable with operating their mobile phones, and
                                  would progress into demanding more value-add beyond basic voice
                                  applications, driving the next phase of growth.

                                  Personalization of content and devices: For a large number of
                                  subscribers, the mobile phone has become an extension of their
                                  persona. The success of “caller ring back tones” is evidence that
                                  users are willing to adopt services which offer them the possibility of
                                  personalization (6).

                                  Market Size(7),(8)

                                  The evolution of the MVAS market has proceeded in parallel with
                                  the changes and advances in the telecom industry. From the early
                                  days of P2P SMS, the industry has witnessed a growing portfolio of
                                  services to include graphics/wallpaper downloads, ringtones and
                                  caller ring back tones (CRBTs), SMS contests, and games.

                                  In India the revenue from MVAS (excluding P2P SMS) amounted to
                                  USD 43.8 M in 2004, and is expected to increase to USD 348.8 M
                                  in 2009, at a CAGR of over 50%.




                                                12
Video/TV and games are
                                Exhibit 6: Depicts the revenues from different MVAS segments
likely to drive the growth of
                                from 2004–2009(E)
the MVAS market going
forward                           Exhibit 6: Revenue from MVAS Segments during
                                  2004–2009(E)(7),(8)

                                                               Information services/contests
                                                               and ringtones/graphics/
                                                400.0          wallpapers dominated the
                                                               MVAS market with shares of
                                                350.0          65% and 24% respectively,
                                                                                                                   27.3           Ringtones/graphics
                                                               followed by games (6%), music
                                                300.0          (4%), and video TV (1%)                                            are projected to have
                                                                                                                                  the highest market




                                Revenue ($ M)
                                                                                                     16.9         119.2           share (34%),
                                                250.0
                                                                                                                                  followed by games
                                                                                                  9.9101.5                        (31%). Information
                                                200.0                                                            7.1              services, video TV,
                                                                                          84.2 6.5                                and music will
                                                150.0                                 4.6                          86.6           account for 25%, 8%,
                                                                             60.0                 5.5 77.0                        and 2% respectively
                                                100.0                   1.8
                                                                                  4.5 66.9
                                                                    36.5
                                                 50.0       0.4          2.9 54.6                                 106.6
                                                           10.8 1.7 42.1                             72.1
                                                           28.8 2.5                   41.4
                                                  0.0                   10.522.3




                                                                                                      200 8(E)


                                                                                                                       200 9(E)
                                                            200 4


                                                                     200 5


                                                                              200 6


                                                                                          200 7
                                                Games                                              Information Services/Contests
                                                Music                                              Ringtones/Graphics
                                                Video/TV



                                SMS contests: Television is an integral part of the daily lives of
                                average Indians. The proliferation of global television channels
                                has changed TV viewing from a passive activity to an interactive
                                activity. Daily soaps, music, and contest shows provide the
                                option for viewers to participate through SMS (6). The popularity
                                of contests can be gauged from the fact that during November
                                2004–March 2005 Indian Idol (a singing competition hosted by
                                Sony Television) received over 55 M votes via SMS, amounting
                                to a total revenue of USD 3.75 M (INR 165 M) at USD 0.07/SMS
                                (INR 3/SMS). Of this amount, telecom companies earned USD
                                2.61 M (INR 115 M), and Sony TV earned about USD 1.14 M
                                (INR 50 M). Further, a popular television game show “Kaun
                                Banega Crorepati,” hosted by a famous film personality on Star
                                Television, generated 58 million SMSs over a period of three
                                months. These shows have increased the familiarity of low
                                usage segments such as housewives and the senior population
                                with SMS utilities.

                                Music: Mobile music comprises ringtones, caller ring-back
                                tones, and music clips. Indians are known for their affinity for
                                music and movies. According to a key official of Sony–BMG,
                                approximately USD 0.22–0.26 M (INR 10–12 M)—about 5% of
                                an album’s sales—can be generated from mobile revenues. A
                                popular radio station, Radio Mirchi, receives approximately
                                40,000–50,000 SMSs daily with requests for songs to be played
                                on air. Saregama (an Indian music company) generates 50% of
                                its revenues from ringtones offered through its catalogue.




                                                           13
Exhibit 7: Depicts the different MVAS categories

 Exhibit 7: Different MVAS Categories(6)


   Information                                   Entertainment
   News alerts, stock                            Songs, ringtones,
   prices, air/rail ticket      MVAS in          caller ring back
   status, bank                  India           tones (CRBTs),
   account balance/                              wallpapers, games,
   transaction alerts                            jokes
                             M-commerce
                             Services allowing
                             transactions on
                             mobile phones
                             e.g. purchase of
                             tickets and other
                             goods, payment
                             for purchases



Video/TV and Games: As depicted in Exhibit 7 above,
advanced MVAS has just started to find market acceptance.
These services include mobile TV/video, full-motion videos,
wireless teleconferencing, multi-player online games, and M-
commerce. These services typically require high bandwidth and
a superior level of support technology than the currently
available 2.5G. The introduction of 3G/4G in the near future is
therefore expected to facilitate a wider portfolio of VAS
available to mobile users. The video/TV and games segment of
the MVAS market are expected to register the highest CAGR
during 2004–2009.




           14
The MVAS Business Model
                                                        Industry Value Chain
                                                        MVAS has also resulted in the emergence of an entirely new business
                                                        eco-system giving rise to supporting industries such as content
                                                        development and aggregation(6). There are multiple stakeholders playing
                                                        across the MVAS value chain many with overlapping roles and functions.
                                                        A well demarcated value chain of MVAS is yet to evolve.

Exhibit 8: Depicts the typical MVAS industry value chain.

 Exhibit 8: MVAS Value Chain(9)

                                                                   Mobile Handset
                                                                   Manufacturers




                   Content                         Customized                      Content             Mobile Network
                  Copyright                         Content                        Portals/            Operators/Service     End-user
                   Owner                            Creators                     Aggregators             Providers

            Role: Develop original         Role: Companies which             Role: Individuals/      Role: Provide
            copyright content              generate user-defined             organizations that      transport and support
            Examples: Music                content                           gather web content      mechanism for mobile
            production houses              Examples: Mauj, One               and in some cases       content delivery
            (SaReGaMa, Sony),              97, Hungama Mobile                distribute content to   Examples: Airtel,
            Bollywood production                                             suit customer needs     Reliance, BSNL,
            houses (Yash Raj                                                 Examples: Indiatimes,   MTNL, Hutch, Idea
            Films), and media                                                Hungama Mobile          Cellular
            houses (Sony, Star,
            Zee)
           Either of these is generally referred to as ‘Content Provider’



                                                                            Technology Enablers

                                                                             Role: Provide
                                                                             technology platforms
                                                                             that enable access to
                                                                             MVAS players
                                                                             Examples: OnMobile,
                                                                             Bharti Telesoft,
                                                                             Webaroo




                         Represents overlap of players across segments to indicate presence in multiple segments.


                                                                   The main stakeholders involved in the VAS value chain are
A typical value chain in the                                          Content copyright owners: At the first level of the MVAS
MVAS industry includes                                                value chain are the content copyright owners, which develop
content creators,                                                     original copyright content. Examples include music production
aggregators, telecom                                                  houses (SaReGaMa, Sony), Bollywood production houses
                                                                      (Yash Raj Films), and media houses (Sony, Star, Zee, etc.)
operators, technology
                                                                      Customized content creators: Refers to companies that
companies, and mobile                                                 generate customized content for users through their own
handset manufacturers                                                 portals. Examples include Mauj, One 97, and Hungama Mobile.
                                                                      Content portals/aggregators: These are individuals/
                                                                      organizations that gather web content and in some cases
                                                                      distribute content to suit customer needs. Examples include
                                                                      Indiatimes and Hungama Mobile.
                                                                      Mobile operators: They provide transport and support
                                                                      mechanisms for delivery of mobile content. Examples include
                                                                      Airtel, Reliance, BSNL, MTNL, Hutch, Idea Cellular, etc.




                                                                                      15
Technology enablers: On the other end of the value chain are
                                              technology enablers. These provide technology platforms that
                                              enable access to MVAS. Players include OnMobile, Bharti
                                              Telesoft, Webaroo, etc.
                                              Handset manufacturers: Mobile handset manufacturers have
                                              also started playing an important role, through their interaction
                                              with all other stakeholders across the value chain. Their
                                              activities include embedding software links in their handsets,
                                              allowing direct access to content portals, creating services
                                              customized to the need of certain regions, etc. Key players in
                                              the Indian market include Nokia, Motorola, and Samsung.

Exhibit 9: Depicts the typical enterprise VAS Value Chain

 Exhibit 9: Enterprise VAS Value Chain


                                     Enterprise              Mobile Network
              Enterprise              Service                Operator/Service           End User
                                      Provider                  Provider


          Definition:            Definition:                Definition:             Definition:
          Companies that         Companies that send        Companies that          The customers that
          reach out to the       messages in bulk to        provide transport and   the enterprises
          consumer on mobile     the desired end            support for the         intend to reach
          platform               users                      delivery of the
                                                            information




                                      ACL Wireless


                                              MVAS has also provided a platform to enterprises to
The enterprise VAS value                      communicate with existing and potential customers using
chain comprises                               technology as a common denominator.
enterprises, enterprise
service providers, mobile                     In the context of MVAS, enterprise service providers are
                                              companies that reach out to the consumer through the
operators, and users
                                              mobile platform. Enterprises across a wide range of industries
                                              such as financial services, retail, real estate, cargo and courier,
                                              and FMCG companies are using VAS as a marketing and
                                              customer development tool(6). The flow of information from the
                                              enterprise to the end-user can be either via automated alerts or
                                              user-generated requests.

                                              Though the inflow of revenue per unit may be low in the case of
                                              Enterprise VAS (usually USD 0.07/minute or INR 3/minute), this
                                              segment is likely to drive a sizeable contribution to the total
                                              MVAS market, given that an increasing number of industry
                                              verticals that interface directly with the consumer continue to
                                              adopt this channel as a means to communicate with their
                                              customers.




                                                        16
Enterprises across a wide          Other players in the Enterprise VAS chain include
range of industries such as
                                       Enterprise services provider (ESP): Provides the
financial services, retail, real       interface between the enterprise and the mobile operator.
estate, cargo and courier,             ESPs are companies that send messages in bulk to the
and FMCG companies are                 target end-users. Examples include One 97, Cellnext, and
using VAS as a marketing               ACL Wireless.
and customer development
tool                                   Mobile operators: provide transport and support for
                                       delivery of information from enterprises to end-users
                                       through the ESPs. Examples include Airtel, Reliance, BSNL,
                                       MTNL, Hutch, Idea Cellular, etc.




                                            17
MVAS Platforms
MVAS on Data/Text and Voice Platforms(6)
Exhibit 10: Depicts the MVAS delivery on data/text and voice platforms

 Exhibit 10: MVAS on Data/Text and Voice Platforms(6)

                                         Data/Text              MVAS Platforms              Voice




                      End-                                                 End-user calls up the service
                                   End-user sends request
                  user/Service                                             provider and avails of the
                                   as SMS
                    Provider                                               service




                                   SMS goes to server managed              The call is routed to a server
                Platform Enabler   by the Platform Enabler on              managed by the platform
                                   behalf of the operator                  enabler



                                   Content is arranged by the              The server interacts with
                    Content
                                   operator from the content               callers using IVRS, gathers
                  Aggregator/
                                   aggregator who procures it              information and routes calls to
                   Developer
                                   from the content developer              the appropriate recipient



                                   This content is forwarded to            The remaining process is
                Platform Enabler   the platform enabler who                same as for the text-based
                                   stores it on the server                 platform


                                   The server automatically and
                                   instantaneously entertains the
                                   request from the customer as
                                   all the MVAS are preloaded on
                                   to the server


Voice-based services                            Even though voice-based VAS requires more effort to be
require more efforts from                       expended by telecom operators, voice VAS generates more
the operators and generate                      revenues compared to text-based services.
more revenues compared to
                                                Per-unit voice-based MVAS generates more revenue than text-
text-based services
                                                based MVAS on account of the following:
                                                    The call charges are higher at USD 0.15/minute (INR6/7 per
                                                    minute) for voice-based services versus USD 0.07/SMS
                                                    (INR 3/SMS) for text-based services
                                                    Selecting the service normally takes more than a minute
                                                    Thus, for the same service, voice-based MVAS will
                                                    generate significantly higher revenue than text-based
                                                    MVAS

                                                As the penetration of MVAS grows in rural India, the necessity
                                                and importance of “Interactive Voice Recognition” (IVR)
                                                systems will increase. Rural users will be more comfortable with
                                                an interactive voice platform in the local language as opposed
                                                to punching numbers to exercise their options.




                                                            18
Revenue Sharing in MVAS
Exhibit 11: Captures the revenue flow in the case of enterprise and non-enterprise MVAS

 Exhibit 11: Revenue Flow in Enterprise and Non-Enterprise MVAS


                                            Enterprises pay the                                     Operator retains the       End user does not pay
                        Automated                                       ESP keeps 25–30% of
                                            ESP about INR 0.45–                                     balance (65–70%) of        for the services
                        Alerts                                          revenue generated
                                            0.55/SMS                                                the revenue                received
  Enterprise VAS




                        Enterprise                                                                     Mobile Network
                        VAS(D)                  Enterprise                     ESP(C)                  Operator/Service                End User
                                                                                                          Provider

                        User-                                                                                                     User pays for
                                            Enterprise                     ESP keeps the balance       Operator keeps 70% of
                        generated                                                                                                 requesting information
                                            does not get any revenue       share (30%) of revenue      the revenue
                        Requests                                                                                                  (usually INR 3)



                                                                                          Content                Network
   Non-enterprise VAS




                        Non-         Content Copyright
                                                              Content Creator            Portals/               Operators/               End User
                        Enterprise       Owners
                                                                                        Aggregators          Service Providers
                        VAS
                                                                                                                                   The end user pays
                        User-        Royalties paid out the
                                                               Content creators      Content aggregators                           for the content
                        generated    copyright owner                                                         The operator keeps
                                                               keep 10–15% of        receive approx.                               (usually INR 10 for
                                     comprises 10–15% of                                                     60–70% of revenue
                        Requests                               revenue               15–25% of revenue                             wallpaper, INR 50 for
                                     total revenue                                                                                 games, etc)




Operators retain almost 70%                                            Current Revenue Sharing Arrangements
of the revenues across the                                             Operators typically retain the largest chunk of revenues across
value chain                                                            the value chain. Revenue sharing arrangement for
                                                                       non-enterprise MVAS is typically 60–70% for the operators, 15–
                                                                       25% for the content aggregators, and 10–15% for content
                                                                       creators. Further, royalties paid out to the copyright owner
                                                                       accounts for 10–15% of the total revenues.

                                                                       In India, operators dominate the revenue sharing arrangements
                                                                       due to the following reasons:(8),(10)
                                                                            Control over data inside pipe: Operators randomly block
                                                                            access to sites, thereby hampering content players’ reach.
                                                                            “Walled Garden” in handset equipment: The browsing
                                                                            environment in the handsets controls information and
                                                                            web access by users, thus reducing direct communication
                                                                            avenues between the user and content providers.
                                                                            Too many contenders for a small pie: There are
                                                                            numerous small content players grappling for business in
                                                                            the various MVAS segments, e.g., sports alerts,
                                                                            ringtones/music, etc.
                                                                            Lack of adequate copyright protection: This hampers the
                                                                            growth of branded content and hence reduces the
                                                                            bargaining power of content providers.

                                                                       Similar to non-enterprise MVAS, even in the case of enterprise
                                                                       solution services, the operators retain almost 70% of the
                                                                       revenue, while the remaining 30% accrues to the service
                                                                       providers. The revenue sharing arrangements in India are
                                                                       significantly different from those in evolved mobile markets such
                                                                       as China, where the share of the operator ranges between
                                                                       20–30%, and the aggregators and content owners keep a
                                                                       majority of the pie. However, stakeholders across the value
                                                                       chain are using diverse strategies to boost their revenues.


                                                                                   19
Exhibit 12: Depicts the competitive landscape of the MVAS industry, and different strategies of players across
the value chain

 Exhibit 12: Competitive Landscape of the MVAS Industry(11)

                      Player           Hungama             IMImobile              Star India           One97             VoiceGate               OnMobile             Paymate
                                        Mobile
                                   Inception Current   Inception Current Inception Current Inception Current Inception Current Inception Current Inception Current
 Segment Presence




                      Technology
                      Enabler

                      Content
                      Aggregator


                      Content
                      Provider

                                   Movies/Music         End-to-end             Exclusive          Regional             Specialized in         Wide Array of        Secure Payment
                                   Industry:            Solutions:             Content:           Content/Music:       Voice-based            Offerings:           System
                                   Exclusive content    Voice and Data         Owns/Acquires      In 12 Indian         Services: Voice        SMS and voice
 Products/Offerings




                      USP                               platforms allowing     copyrights         languages            mail, voice logging,   platforms; Content
                                                        integration of voice                                           voice recording,       aggregation and
                                                        and data access                                                etc.                   sourcing
                                                        points and products
                                   Operator logos;      Technology             Entertainment:     Mobile content,      Interactive voice      Contests,            M-commerce:
                                   Picture messages;    platforms,             Movies, music,     network VAS,         response systems       infotainment,        Online shopping,
                                   Bollywood            software,              sports             enterprise                                  interactive media,   purchasing
                      Products/    wallpapers/          applications                              business services,                          M-commerce,          movie/airline
                                                                               Information:
                      Services     ringtones/games;                                               marketing and                               missed call alert,   tickets, payment of
                                                                               Banking, travel,
                                   Applications;                                                  revenue sharing                             Msearch, music,      bills using mobile
                                                                               news, etc.
                                   Information                                                    applications                                mobile marketing,    phones
                                   services                                                                                                   voice SMS
                                   Mobile Movies:       Customized             Target Youth:      Innovate:            Integrate:             Strengthen
                                                                                                                                               :                   Expansion:
                                   Take Bollywood       Solutions:             Interactive        With regards to      Enter content          Partnership:         More tie-ups with
 Future Plan




                                   movies to mobile     Partner with key       games,             content,             aggregation and        Work closely with    banks and widen
                                   phones               operators/device       Wallpapers/        information, and     content                network              scope of
                                                        manufacturers          Ringtones/Video    intelligent          development            operators and        payment services
                                                        and offer              mails based on     transactions         arena with portal      content providers
                                                        customized             youth                                   VG4Mobile and
                                                        solutions              entertainment                           invest in state-of-
                                                                               programs                                the-art studio




                                                                                                  20
Most players in the MVAS      Evolving Strategies of Shareholders across the MVAS
industry are targeting        Value Chain
specific market segments
with differentiated           Stakeholders across the value chain are adopting innovative
positioning strategies        strategies to gain a chunk of the revenues.


                              Content copyright owners and content creators(8): Creators of
                              original content have traditionally commanded a revenue share
                              significantly less than that of mobile operators. Media companies
                              are fast emerging to play the role of content copyright owners and
                              content creators. Currently, media companies command 30% of the
                              revenues, while operators and content aggregators account for 60%
                              and 10% of the total revenue respectively. Of late, media
                              companies have been making a case for a higher share of the
                              revenue pie. However, for obvious reasons operators have a
                              conflicting viewpoint on this.
Media companies want a        The operators believe that since they make the investment in the
bigger share of the revenue   network and control access to the consumers, they should be in a
pie                           commanding position, and retain a major chunk of the revenues
                              from MVAS. The President of the Applications and Solutions Group
                              of a leading telecom group argues(8):
                                  At the international level, operators pay revenue share only on
                                  the basis of actual downloads.
                                  In India, the figure of revenue share is calculated including
                                  network usage and subscription fee, and therefore, the
                                  percentage that comes back to the operator needs to be larger.

                              Media companies contend that the fragmented and oversupplied
                              content market will work in their favor for the following reasons:
                                  It is easier for media companies to procure quality content in a
                                  fragmented market when compared to mobile companies who
                                  do not have much experience in this domain.
                                  As the need for differentiated content (specifically with TV,
                                  music, news, and more audio-visual content) gains importance,
                                  media companies are expected to gain momentum and enter
                                  into alliances with other players.

                               Media Companies Gear Up for MVAS(8)
                                  Big media firms (Star, Sony, and Bennett Coleman and
                                  Company Limited) set up dedicated divisions for mobile
                                  entertainment in 2006.
                                  In January 2007, Star India introduced “PLUS” offering a
                                  variety of television entertainment contests and latest
                                  happenings on SMS.
                                  The CEO of a leading Indian media house believes that
                                  mobile telephony will eventually bring in 30% of the
                                  company’s revenues.
                                  The Director (Interaction) of an Indian media buying and
                                  planning firm believes that the work of media companies is
                                  primarily “brand centric.”
                                  o For example, if an FMCG player’s creative and media
                                      plan demands a mobile play, in the form of a contest,
                                      poll or plain branding, then the media planning firm will
                                      look for content or partnerships that can be leveraged to
                                      promote the brand on a mobile phone.




                                         21
Wider portfolios and                                           (12),(13)
integration along the value   Content aggregators/providers            : Content aggregators are
chain could improve MVAS      aggrieved by similar concerns as content owners with respect to
revenues of content           revenue sharing across the MVAS value chain. They have sought
                              to counter this issue by widening their portfolio of offerings and
aggregators/providers
                              integrating along the MVAS value chain.



                                On Mobile’s Business Strategy(12)

                                On Mobile has moved beyond its traditional role of being an
                                MVAS technology enabler with a wide array of platforms,
                                applications, and professional services. The company now
                                offers ringtones, sports alerts, horoscopes, and other services.
                                Its call interactive media portal found use in popular television
                                shows such as quick contests (Kaun Banega Crorepati) and
                                singing competitions such as (Indian Idol and Super Singer).



                                Star Television’s Business Strategy(13)

                                In January 2007, Star Network launched its PLUS service, a 24-
                                hour mobile platform allowing single-point access through a
                                mobile telephone to television, shopping, banking, and other
                                useful services.



                              Handset manufacturers: Handset manufacturers have also
                              partnered with players across the MVAS value chain to create a
                              sustainable basis for differentiation.
Handset manufacturers are
partnering with players
across the MVAS value          Nokia Partners with Content Owners
chain to enhance their         and Aggregators(14)
products
                               Nokia has tied up with Indiagames.com and Mauj to offer
                               downloads (along with free previews) of ringtones and games.

                               The company has also entered into an agreement with Malayala
                               Manorama, a leading regional newspaper, to offer direct access
                               to content from the newspaper through its handsets sold in the
                               southern part of the country.




                                Samsung has Tied Up with
                                Content Aggregators(19)

                                Samsung has tied up with Indiagames and Mauj and to launch
                                the Samsung Fan Club Website, which offers ringtones,
                                wallpapers, and Java-based games.




                                         22
Operators have tied-up    Mobile operators: Like other players across the value chain,
stakeholders across the   mobile operators too are following the path of integration across the
MVAS value chain to       MVAS value chain.
enhance their offerings
                           BSNL

                           BSNL has entered into an agreement with Indiagames.com to
                           offer online games on demand to BSNL subscribers.


                           Airtel(16),(17),(20)

                           Airtel has entered into the following tie-ups to enhance its
                           service offerings
                                ESPN—an international sports channel, for live match alerts
                                Sony Entertainment Network—for voting for television
                                contests
                                IMI Mobile—for Tamil voice portal with ringtones, greetings,
                                and other services



                           Walt Disney(15)

                           Walt Disney entered into agreements with Airtel, Hutch, and
                           Reliance Communications to offer comic strips and full-length
                           stories on mobile phones.


                           Cellebrum(18)

                           Cellebrum—a technology enabler, tied up with Idea, Reliance
                           Communications, and Spice to offer background music services
                           through IVRS.

                          Declining call tariffs and ARPU, coupled with shrinking margins, are
                          putting tremendous pressure on the mobile operators to work in
                          collaboration with other stakeholders to sustain their revenue
                          growth. In order to achieve this, the operators will be required to
                          suitably reward other stakeholders by reducing a substantial part of
                          their current revenue share. Further, other stakeholders have
                          integrated across the value chain and are in a better bargaining
                          position for higher revenue share as compared to the past.




                                         23
Barriers to Growth of MVAS in India
The challenges emanate from the fact that this segment of the
Indian telecom industry is still in a nascent stage and the rules of
the game are still evolving. Further, apart from the operators, there
is a large number of small players operating across the value chain.
The challenges posed to the industry that are likely to hinder
projected growth are as follows:


Authentication standards: Presently, there are no authentication
standards set out for operators and aggregators that apply to the
download of content(10). This needs to be addressed by the
institution of standards by an industry governing body such as the
Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) to authenticate the
flow of information. This will help create trust among different
stakeholders across the MVAS value chain.


Copyright protection: As stated earlier, the regulatory framework
for copyright protection continues to remain weak despite the
extension of existing copyright laws to content, with several
instances of violations. In the wake of inadequate remedial action
on this front, the MVAS segment is likely to be disadvantaged.

The industry requires a stringent regulatory framework in place, to
encourage the flow of branded content to consumers. This will instill
trust and confidence among various stakeholders across the value
chain, leading to increased revenues from data services in the long
run.

Low feature handsets: Despite considerable growth in mobile
subscriber base, low feature handsets continue to remain the order
of the day. The purchase decision for handsets continues to be
driven by basic utility for voice(6). According to the India Mobile
Handset Usage Satisfaction Study 2006, an integrated digital
camera, FM Radio, and speaker phone features remain the most
likely upgrade drivers. Features such as Tri-band, Bluetooth,
Infrared Port, etc., are growing, but are far from developing mass
appeal(26). The lack of widespread adoption of feature-rich mobile
handsets is a barrier to the growth of MVAS in India.

However, in the recent past, prices of feature-rich handsets have
declined sharply owing to increasing competition among
manufacturers and technological advances. There will be a move
towards advanced feature handsets in the future even if need and
lifestyle do not justify it(26).

Low “General Packet Radio Services” (GPRS) connectivity:
GPRS connectivity in India continues to be low given limited
handset capability and operator constraints. There is a large
population of users who are not familiar with accessing GPRS.
Despite its limitation in terms of number of characters (160
characters) and being more cumbersome, SMS continues to be the
most popular delivery channel. In comparison, GRPS will provide a
rich as well as user-friendly online experience. This can only pick up
once the penetration of feature rich handsets grows, and operators
                                (27)
provide free GPRS connection .




            24
Transparency in revenue sharing arrangements: The current
revenue sharing arrangements favor the operators, and are in stark
contrast to the business models in established markets such as
China, Japan, and Europe. The market is highly unregulated and
the absence of an apex body has led operators to pursue
obfuscation strategies.

The Indian MVAS industry needs to take a close look at best
practices in developed markets to design a fair revenue distribution
system, whereby creators/owners are adequately rewarded for
creating higher quality content(10). There is a need to create a
transparent framework that clearly sets out balanced revenue
sharing arrangements, with a fair system of payouts to different
stakeholders across the value chain.

Excessive focus on entertainment-related VAS: The MVAS
market in India continues to be focused on entertainment (movies,
music and sports) catering to the needs of the younger consumer
segment. Going forward, there is a need to focus on information
VAS and transactional VAS (M-commerce), ensuring even growth
among all consumer segments.




           25
The Future of MVAS in India
                                Revenue sharing arrangement in the future(10): The current
                                revenue sharing model gives limited incentive for growth of the
The revenue share of            MVAS ecosystem; hence, operators will need to encourage other
operators is expected to        players by sacrificing revenue share.
decline significantly by 2010
                                Operators will have to use MVAS to differentiate themselves from
                                competitors and hence will become more dependent on content
                                providers and aggregators for quality content.

                                Content developers and aggregators are identifying ways for
                                delivering higher value to the operators. The popularity of high-end
                                informational and transactional activity will increase the bargaining
                                power of content providers, as will the introduction of 3G. Multiple
                                small content aggregators will consolidate and grow stronger, and
                                will thus be in a position to demand a higher revenue share.

                                Exhibit 13: Captures anticipated changing revenue sharing
                                arrangements going forward
                                 Exhibit 13: Revenues Sharing Arrangements
                                 (Now and Future)
                                                     Revenue Sharing Arrangements—2006

                                                                                 Network
                                         Content                    Content
                                                       Content                  Operators/
                                        Copyright                   Portals/                 End Users
                                                       Creators                  Service
                                         Owners                   Aggregators
                                                                                Providers



                                                        40%                       60%




                                                    Revenue Sharing Arrangements—2010(E)

                                                                                 Network
                                         Content                    Content
                                                       Content                  Operators/
                                        Copyright                   Portals/                 End Users
                                                       Creators                  Service
                                         Owners                   Aggregators
                                                                                Providers



                                                        70%                       30%




                                The share of operators is expected to decline from the current
                                60% to 30% by 2010, with other players across the value chain
                                accounting for almost 70%, as compared to 40% at present.
                                The revenue sharing model in the future in India is expected to
                                replicate the model seen in developed MVAS markets such as
                                China, Japan, and Europe.




                                             26
NTT DoCoMo: Case Study(29)–(32)

                                NTT DoCoMo is Japan’s leading wireless communications provider
                                and one of the world’s largest mobile internet providers. The
                                company launched “i-mode—mobile internet services” to address
                                the offset decline in voice-based ARPU and maintain subscriber
                                growth. The new services gained considerable popularity, with the
                                subscriber base growing from 1 million in August 1999, to almost 45
                                million in August 2005.

                                i-mode enables users to access customized content over a packet-
                                based network. On the i-mode server, there are both “official” and
                                “independent” content sites. As of January 2005, i-mode provides
                                access to 6,700 official sites and more than 80,000 independent
                                i-mode sites. As per the contractual agreement between NTT
                                DoCoMo and content providers, the former collects the content
                                charge from the subscribers and retains a commission of 9%, while
                                passing on the rest to the content providers. However, in the case
                                of “independent” websites, users must pay the owner directly for the
                                content. The company’s revenue sharing arrangements with
                                Internet content providers have provided significant incentives to
                                the latter in developing high-quality content, and revenue sharing is
                                been widely regarded as a key to i-mode’s success.
The applications of the
future include regional         New application areas(6),(21)–(23): Applications with respect to the
content, mobile internet, and   future of MVAS in India will include several new and exciting areas
location-based services         such as mobile internet, location-based services, and regional
                                content-based services.

                                Mobile internet will gain ground with leading players in the internet
                                content space as they configure their sites for access through
                                mobile phones. The setting up of a special “mobi domain”(C3) will
                                also promote the widespread usage of GPRS applications.

                                Location based services comprise among others, GPS services,
                                social networking services (Friend Finder), and information services
                                (Mobile Yellow Pages, City Sightseeing). According to Juniper
                                Research, worldwide carrier revenues from location-based services
                                will climb from around USD 1 B in 2005 to nearly
                                USD 8.5 B by 2010, registering an increase of 53% per annum.

                                Mobile content customized to a certain target region is also being
                                looked at as a source for higher mobile penetration and revenues in
Maturity of MVAS is             both rural as well as urban areas. The diversity in languages (24
expected to give impetus to     different languages) and dialects (1,642 dialects) in India creates a
M-commerce                      large potential market for regional content. Companies have been
                                very receptive to this trend, and are developing innovative
                                strategies to capitalize on regional opportunities. Recent initiatives
Government policies and         include Nokia’s agreement with Malayala Manorama for a mobile-
advances in technology will     based vernacular news portal for subscribers based in Kerala, and
                                Airtel’s launch of a VAS portal in Kannada with ringtone downloads,
help to make rural India a                                         (17),(21)
                                song downloads, and dedications             .
lucrative MVAS market




                                (C)
                                   The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has
                                approved the quot;.mobiquot; domain suffix for the exclusive use of cell phone users
                                                      (28)
                                accessing the Internet


                                            27
The growth of M-commerce(24): Maturity in MVAS will also give a
strong impetus to market growth for M-commerce applications in
India. The services presently offered in India include information
based services (account balance and activity alerts, foreign
exchange rate notifications, etc.) and transaction services
(securities trade, cash roll-overs, debt trade, stop-payments). Their
growth, however, is limited by low user awareness and confidence-
in-use, and by infrastructural constraints and high pricing. What is
needed, therefore, is close cooperation between the telecom
industry on one hand and banks on the other.

Support from the telecom industry for new services will help extend
their reach to new customer segments (e.g., M-commerce in rural
areas) and this will increase their profitability. Such partnerships
between banks and the telecom industry also facilitate
mainstreaming and differentiation of new services and offered.

MVAS for the rural market(25): India’s rural market represents a
segment with huge potential for MVAS. It is predicted that rural
subscribers will grow at a CAGR of 85% during 2007–2011, as
against the urban subscriber base which is expected to grow at just
under 24% during the same period. Success here, though, is
dependent on the interplay of a multitude of complex factors.
On one hand, Government policies will probably play the most
critical role in growth of MVAS in rural India. These will affect
penetration drivers such as the level of competition in the sector,
tariff and non-tariff barriers for ICT products, and use of Universal
Service Obligation Funds for development of rural telephony.
The subscriber base in these areas will require customized
services such as crop price alerts, microfinance scheme
information, installment due alerts, etc.
Exhibit 14 depicts the projected growth in rural and urban mobile
subscriber base in India from 2007 to 2011
 Exhibit 14: Growth in Rural and Urban Mobile Subscriber
 Base
                                            Impressive growth in the country’s
                                            mobile subscriber base will be
                                            driven by a large projected
                                                                                    38.6%
                                            increase in the rural subscriber
                                            base
                                   500.00                                           460.56

                                   450.00

                                   400.00             CAGR: 40.80%

                                   350.00                                           210.00
          Subscriber Base (in M)




                                   300.00
                                                 16.4%
                                   250.00

                                   200.00         165.01       CAGR: 85.05%

                                   150.00         33.14
                                                                                    250.56
                                   100.00
                                                  131.97
                                    50.00                       CAGR: 23.83%

                                     0.00
                                                   2007              Year           2011(E)


                                               Urban Subscribers         Rural Subscribers
                                                       Total Subscriber Base
                                                      Mobile Penetration in India




                                    28
The Way Forward
India’s telecom industry has posed unique challenges for mobile
operators. MVAS has emerged as a great opportunity to rescue the
industry from the declining ARPU. From the above analysis, it is
clear that the MVAS space is set to witness a high growth
trajectory,   creating   tremendous     opportunities.     However,
stakeholders across the value chain will have to work
collaboratively to overcome barriers and create a business
ecosystem that generates fair rewards for all the players.




             29
Mobile Vas In India
Mobile Vas In India
Mobile Vas In India

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Mobile Vas In India

  • 1. A Study of the Mobile Value Added Services (MVAS) Market in India October 2007 © 2007 Boston Analytics. All Rights Reserved.
  • 2. Table of Contents The Indian Telecom Industry .................................................................................................... 6 Evolution ........................................................................................................................................................... 6 Key Performance Indicators ............................................................................................................................ 8 The Changing Landscape ................................................................................................................................ 9 Mobile Value Added Services in India ................................................................................... 11 Industry Definition .......................................................................................................................................... 11 Growth Drivers ............................................................................................................................................... 12 Market Size...................................................................................................................................................... 12 The MVAS Business Model .................................................................................................... 15 Industry Value Chain ...................................................................................................................................... 15 MVAS Platforms ....................................................................................................................... 18 MVAS on Data/Text and Voice Platforms ..................................................................................................... 18 Revenue Sharing in MVAS ...................................................................................................... 19 Current Revenue Sharing Arrangements ..................................................................................................... 19 Barriers to Growth of MVAS in India ..................................................................................... 24 The Future of MVAS in India ................................................................................................... 26 The Way Forward ..................................................................................................................... 29 2
  • 3. Table of Exhibits Exhibit 1: Mobile Subscribers and Per Capita GDP in India (2002–2007)........................... 7 Exhibit 2: Mobile Call Tariffs in India (1999–2005) ................................................................ 8 Exhibit 3: Mobile Revenues in India (Sept. 2005–Sept. 2006) .............................................. 9 Exhibit 4: Mobile ARPU in India (Sept. 2005–Sept. 2006) ................................................... 10 Exhibit 5: Evolution of MVAS in India................................................................................... 11 Exhibit 6: Revenue from MVAS Segments during 2004–2009(E) ...................................... 13 Exhibit 7: Different VAS Categories...................................................................................... 14 Exhibit 8: MVAS Value Chain ................................................................................................ 15 Exhibit 9: Enterprise VAS Value Chain ................................................................................ 16 Exhibit 10: MVAS on Data/Text and Voice Platforms ......................................................... 18 Exhibit 11: Revenue Flow in Enterprise and Non-Enterprise MVAS ................................. 19 Exhibit 12: Competitive Landscape of the MVAS Industry ................................................ 20 Exhibit 13: Revenues Sharing Arrangements (Now and Future) ...................................... 26 Exhibit 14: Growth in Rural and Urban Mobile Subscriber Base ...................................... 28 3
  • 4. Abstract The Indian mobile telephony market has grown at a rapid pace in the past six to seven years. Declining call tariffs in conjunction with favorable regulatory policies have lead to a tremendous increase in the subscriber base, crossing the 100 million mark in 2006. While the growing subscriber base has positively impacted industry revenues (which have risen consistently over the past few years), operator margins also have shrunk, pulling down “Average Revenue per User” (ARPU). As ARPU declines and voice gets commoditized, the challenge is to retain customers, develop alternative revenue streams, and create a basis for differentiation in high-churn markets. In the wake of changing industry markets, telecom operators are looking at “Mobile Value Added Services” (MVAS) as the next wave of growth, and a large chunk of revenues is expected to flow from VAS in the near future. Market growth drivers on the supply side include declining ARPU, brand differentiation needs, and growing focus on entertainment-related content; demand-side drivers include the booming Indian economy, increasing user comfort with basic mobility services, personalization of content and devices and cheaper handsets. From the early days of “Person-to-Person Short Message Service” (P2P SMS), the industry has witnessed an emergence of a growing portfolio of services including graphics/wallpapers downloads, ringtones and caller ring back tones (CRBT), SMS contests, and games. In India, the revenue from MVAS (excluding P2P SMS) amounted to USD 43.8 M in 2004, and is expected to increase to USD 348.8 M in 2009, at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of more than 50%. Entertainment VAS is expected to drive the growth of the market going forward with Video/TV and games registering the highest growth rates among other segments in the near future. The growth of industry also has led to the development of an entirely new business eco-system: supporting industries such as content development and aggregation. A typical value chain in the MVAS industry encompasses content creators, providers, aggregators, technology enablers, and operators. Given that the industry is young and evolving, the rules of the game are yet to be laid down. As a result, revenue sharing arrangements across the MVAS value chain have emerged in favor of the operators. Operators typically retain the largest chunk (around 60%) of revenues, followed by 15% to 25% for content aggregators, and 10% to 15% for content creators. The share of operators is expected to decline from the current 60% to 30% by 2010, with other players across the value chain accounting for almost 70%, as compared to 40% at present. The revenue sharing model in the future in India is expected to replicate the model seen in developed MVAS markets such as China, Japan, and Europe. 4
  • 5. The future implementation of MVAS in India will encompass several new and exciting areas such as mobile internet, location-based services, and regional content-based services. Maturity of the MVAS market also will give impetus to the market for M-commerce applications in India. Favorable government policies and advances in technology are encouraging providers across the MVAS value chain to explore innovative ways to address the mobile telephony needs of India’s rural population. Boston Analytics research indicates that the Indian MVAS space will witness a high growth trajectory, creating tremendous opportunities for all stakeholders. However, all stakeholders across the value chain need to work collaboratively to overcome growth barriers and create an ecosystem that generates fair rewards for all. The key challenges are to establish the required content authentication standards, and enact laws pertaining to copyright protection. Further, a transparent revenue-sharing arrangement set out under the aegis of an industry apex body such as the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) would bring more clarity to the potential rewards for all stakeholders, thereby ensuring equitable participation across the value chain. As far as content is concerned, there is a need to go beyond music, music, and sports, to cater to the needs of all consumer segments. This research report explores the Indian MVAS marketplace and seeks to provide a systemic view of the industry, while addressing issues across the MVAS value chain in India. 5
  • 6. Liberalization of the The Indian Telecom Industry(1) regulatory regime and increasing competition in Evolution the last decade provided The pre-1990s era witnessed the evolution of telephony and the momentum to the Indian strengthening of government presence in telephony, along with the telecom industry introduction of private capital into the manufacturing of telecom equipment. A defining step for the industry was the setting up of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) in 1985. A year down the line, the government also established Videsh Sanchar Nigam Limited (VSNL) for international telephony, and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL) for telephony in metropolitan areas. The New Telecom Policy (NTP) 1994 proved to be a landmark step, as it allowed the entry of private telephony operators into the market. In 1994, the government set up the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) to regulate the growing telecom sector in India. The year 1999 saw the launch of the NTP-99, which introduced a revenue sharing system between the operators and the government (in contrast to the prevailing license fee regime). GSM services were also launched in this year, signaling the dawn of mobile telephony. The year 2000 witnessed the corporatization of DoT and the establishment of the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL). However, one of the most remarkable achievements of the Indian st Telecom industry at the turn of the 21 century was the tremendous growth of the wireless telephony market. The DoT was the first formal body set up by the government with the responsibility of handling issues relating to policy, coordination, and licensing of various forms of telecommunication, including telephone, telegraph, data, wireless, facsimile, telematic services, and others. The formation and subsequent capitalization of the DoT has smoothened the functioning of BSNL by allowing a speedier decision-making process, facilitated by minimal government intervention. An example of the benefits derived is the growth in the number of direct exchange lines by over 20% and the reduction in the waiting list for telephones from over 4.0 M to around 3.3 M in the first year after corporatization. 6
  • 7. Exhibit 1: Depicts the growth in the mobile subscriber base and per Rising per capita GDP and capita GDP in India from 2003–2007. reduced call tariffs have made mobile services more Exhibit 1: Mobile Subscribers and Per Capita GDP in India affordable in India, thus (2003–2007)(A)1,(2) pushing up the subscriber 40,000.0 200.00 base 35,457.5 32,062.1 Number of subscribers (M) 32,000.0 28,991.8 160.00 Per Capita GDP (INR) 26,090.8 165.11 23,703.6 24,000.0 120.00 16,000.0 80.00 90.14 8,000.0 52.22 40.00 33.58 0.0 13.00 0.00 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 Per Capita GDP (INR) No. of Subscribers (M) The Indian mobile telephony market has grown at a tremendous pace in the past five years, from 13 M subscribers in 2003 to almost 165 M in 2007, registering an annual growth rate of (2) approximately 88.7% . The widespread adoption of mobile telephony remained unparalleled in scope to other segments of the Indian telecom sector, driven by the ever increasing population of users who chose personal mobility. For the first time in 2003, the mobile subscriber base grew more than the fixed line subscriber base (in absolute terms) signaling wider acceptance of mobile telephony. The call tariffs have been reduced at a rate of more than 26% since 1999, from INR 6.70 per minute in 1999 to INR 1.06 in 2005. On the policy front, the introduction of the “Calling Party Pays” regime in conjunction with the reduced call tariffs has significantly reduced cost-in-use for mobile subscribers. (A) Figures are as of March of the respective years 7
  • 8. Exhibit 2: Depicts the decline in mobile call tariffs in India between 1999 and 2005(3) Exhibit 2: Mobile Call Tariffs in India (1999–2005)(3) 6.70 7.00 Call Tariffs (INR/min) 6.00 Declining at 26.4% p.a. 4.98 5.00 4.05 4.00 2.82 3.00 2.00 1.55 1.34 1.06 1.00 0.00 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 The user base has been adding almost 4 million subscribers per month on average, with the mobile subscriber base crossing the 100 million mark in 2006(1). Consequently, the contribution of the telecom sector to India’s GDP increased from 1.5% in 2000 to 1.9% in 2006(4). This was in part due to the liberalization of the foreign direct investment (FDI) regime in India. The year 2003 saw a boost in the inflow of foreign investment to this sector, with the FDI cap being raised from 49% to 74%. Key Performance Indicators(4) Improved quality and increasing affordability have In addition to the above, the following performance indicators are indicative of the impressive performance of the Indian telecom facilitated growth in usage sector between 2000 and 2006: and coverage of telecom services Quality: The quality of telephone services has improved significantly over the years, as seen in a 23.8% reduction in faults per 100 main lines during 2000–2006. Affordability: A 45% decline in the average price basket for residential use has made fixed telephony more affordable. India has one of the lowest mobile tariffs in the world. The tariffs have declined from USD 0.16/minute (INR 6.70/minute) in 1999 to USD 0.03/minute (INR 1.06/minute) in 2005(3). Access: Coverage and usage of fixed telephony grew strongly, as seen in the 40% growth in telephone main lines and 50% in international voice traffic. The number of mobile subscribers per 1,000 people grew by a substantial 2000% during 2005–2006. 8
  • 9. Network: Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) as an alternative technology evolved during the period 2000–2006, with the country-wide network consisting of six players. The industry, initially characterized by fragmentation, has witnessed consolidation with a number of regional operators taken over by larger operators. The Changing Landscape The growing subscriber base has positively impacted industry revenues, which have risen consistently. Mobile revenues in India rose from USD 0.92 B (INR 40.1 B) in the quarter ended September 2005 to USD 1.30 B (INR 60.3 B) a year later, registering a growth rate of 10.7%(5). Exhibit 3: Depicts the increasing revenues from Indian mobile telephony market (Sep 2005–Sep 2006) Exhibit 3: Mobile Revenues in India (Sep 2005–Sep 2006)(5) While the growing affordability of mobile 65.0 Mobile Revenues (INR Million) services lead to a significant 60.3 growth in revenues, operator margins declined Growing at 10.7% p.a. by 68% (as compared to a 55.0 30% decline in call costs) in 50.6 2005–2006 45.0 40.1 40.4 40.9 35.0 QE Sep ’05 QE Dec ’05 QE Mar ’06 QE Jun ’06 QE Sep ’06 However, the flipside of the growth in the revenues as depicted above has been the declining Average Revenue Per User, or ARPU, which has declined at 2.7% on a quarter-by-quarter basis, from USD 8.58 (INR 375) in the quarter ended September 2005 to USD 7.21 (INR 335) a year later(5). 9
  • 10. Exhibit 4: Depicts the decline in the mobile ARPU in India on a quarter-by-quarter basis The steep decline in Exhibit 4: Mobile ARPU in India (Sep 2005–Sep 2006)(5) operator margins also pulled down the mobile ARPU, which declined at a rate of 10.97% between 2005 380 375 Mobile ARPU/month (INR) and 2006 370 Declining at 10.97% p.a. 370 360 356 350 347 340 335 330 QE Sep ’05 QE Dec ’05 QE Mar ’06 QE Jun ’06 QE Sep ’06 While the decline in ARPU can be attributed to the marketing initiatives of telecom companies such as the “life-time incoming free 2(B) scheme ”, the market structure of the mobile telephony market in India has played a key role in altering the industry profit dynamics. The dominance of the pre-paid segment has created volume for the industry, but has put a downward pressure on tariffs. Further, customer retention has also become increasingly difficult, as loyalty is getting diluted given the low switching costs between service (6) providers . The constant decline in tariff structures over the past few years has lead to the creation of a large subscriber base, along with increasing “Minutes of Use” (MOUs) from the existing base. As voice has become more However, the industry is approaching a threshold where MOUs no commoditized, the challenge longer will be elastic in responding to reduced rates(6). is to retain customers, develop alternative revenue In the wake of the changing dynamics of the Indian telecom streams, and create a basis industry, mobile operators in India have been faced with two clear for differentiation in a high- challenges: churn market To retain customers in a predominantly pre-paid, high-churn market To develop alternative revenue streams and create a basis for differentiation as voice becomes commoditized (B) The lifetime validity for incoming calls scheme refers to a scheme launched by national operators such as Airtel, Hutch, Idea Cellular, etc. where for a one-time payment (ranging between INR 900–1000 depending on the service provider), allows the user to receive incoming calls “free for a lifetime” on the condition that the user recharges the card once every six months. 10
  • 11. Mobile Value Added Services in India Exhibit 5: Depicts the evolution of the MVAS industry in India (1999–2010E) Exhibit 5: Evolution of MVAS in India(7),(8) 1G 2G 2.5G 3G 4G Basic Applications and Services Innovative Applications and Services 500 Market Size—2004 Market Size—2009 • Entry of key players $ 43.8 M Market CAGR 2004–2009: 50.9% $ 346.8 M 450 across the MVAS Value Chain MVAS at Present MVAS in Future 2.5G/3G 3G/4G 400 Low/Medium-speed Mobile High-speed Mobile Broadband Access Broadband Access 350 Mobile TV Full-motion Video clips Truetones videos MVAS Revenues ($ M) Wireless 300 Low-end Info-services Teleconferencing Multi-player games online gaming Lower ARPU, limited • Launch of 3G/4G 250 revenues from MVAS Video TV technology to effect manifold increase in MVAS revenues 200 M- • ARPU increases as commerce revenues from MVAS Caller move up 150 Ring-Back Tones 100 Contests/Games • Contribution to operator • MVAS contributed 9- Ring Tones/ revenues expected to 10% of operator Film revenues in 2006 increase to 20% 50 Graphics/ Video Clips Information Wallpapers SMS Services 0 1990 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007(E) 2008(E) 2009(E) Year Industry Definition Operators are therefore looking towards MVAS to Mobile Value Added Services (MVAS) are those services that provide growth impetus to are not part of the basic voice offer and are availed separately mobile ARPU, and achieve by the end user. They are used as a tool for differentiation and higher growth in mobile allow mobile operators to develop another stream of revenue(6). revenues The nature of value added services changes over time. A VAS may become commonplace and commoditized such that it ceases to provide a basis for differentiation. For example, P2P SMS was the only form of VAS in the early days of adoption of mobile telephony in India. Given the current state of the industry P2P SMS has ceased to provide a meaningful tool for service differentiation, and therefore has not been included for calculating the market size for the purpose of this study(6). 11
  • 12. In addition to supply-side Growth Drivers(6) drivers (such as the declining Given the challenges posed by the Indian mobile telephony market ARPU, brand differentiation as highlighted in the section above, MVAS is likely to become a tool needs and growing focus on for additional revenue, service differentiation, and customer entertainment-related content), retention. Telecom operators are looking at MVAS as the next wave demand-side drivers (such for growth and a large chunk of revenue is expected to flow in from as the booming Indian VAS in the near future. The growth in the market will be economy, increasing user propelled by operator initiatives, as well as by the following comfort with basic mobility macro-economic factors. services, personalization of content and devices, and The booming Indian economy: India has emerged as one of the cheaper handsets) are also fastest growing economies in the world, with spending on infrastructure and consumption growing at a rapid pace. Growing driving the growth of the employment opportunities have resulted in a significant increase in market disposable income, leading to a growing acceptance of new technologies and expenditure on communication(6). Increasing user comfort with basic mobility services: The Indian mobile telephony market has attained critical mass due to the increasing affordability of mobile services, as well as the increasing comfort with basic mobility services. A large chunk of users are comfortable with operating their mobile phones, and would progress into demanding more value-add beyond basic voice applications, driving the next phase of growth. Personalization of content and devices: For a large number of subscribers, the mobile phone has become an extension of their persona. The success of “caller ring back tones” is evidence that users are willing to adopt services which offer them the possibility of personalization (6). Market Size(7),(8) The evolution of the MVAS market has proceeded in parallel with the changes and advances in the telecom industry. From the early days of P2P SMS, the industry has witnessed a growing portfolio of services to include graphics/wallpaper downloads, ringtones and caller ring back tones (CRBTs), SMS contests, and games. In India the revenue from MVAS (excluding P2P SMS) amounted to USD 43.8 M in 2004, and is expected to increase to USD 348.8 M in 2009, at a CAGR of over 50%. 12
  • 13. Video/TV and games are Exhibit 6: Depicts the revenues from different MVAS segments likely to drive the growth of from 2004–2009(E) the MVAS market going forward Exhibit 6: Revenue from MVAS Segments during 2004–2009(E)(7),(8) Information services/contests and ringtones/graphics/ 400.0 wallpapers dominated the MVAS market with shares of 350.0 65% and 24% respectively, 27.3 Ringtones/graphics followed by games (6%), music 300.0 (4%), and video TV (1%) are projected to have the highest market Revenue ($ M) 16.9 119.2 share (34%), 250.0 followed by games 9.9101.5 (31%). Information 200.0 7.1 services, video TV, 84.2 6.5 and music will 150.0 4.6 86.6 account for 25%, 8%, 60.0 5.5 77.0 and 2% respectively 100.0 1.8 4.5 66.9 36.5 50.0 0.4 2.9 54.6 106.6 10.8 1.7 42.1 72.1 28.8 2.5 41.4 0.0 10.522.3 200 8(E) 200 9(E) 200 4 200 5 200 6 200 7 Games Information Services/Contests Music Ringtones/Graphics Video/TV SMS contests: Television is an integral part of the daily lives of average Indians. The proliferation of global television channels has changed TV viewing from a passive activity to an interactive activity. Daily soaps, music, and contest shows provide the option for viewers to participate through SMS (6). The popularity of contests can be gauged from the fact that during November 2004–March 2005 Indian Idol (a singing competition hosted by Sony Television) received over 55 M votes via SMS, amounting to a total revenue of USD 3.75 M (INR 165 M) at USD 0.07/SMS (INR 3/SMS). Of this amount, telecom companies earned USD 2.61 M (INR 115 M), and Sony TV earned about USD 1.14 M (INR 50 M). Further, a popular television game show “Kaun Banega Crorepati,” hosted by a famous film personality on Star Television, generated 58 million SMSs over a period of three months. These shows have increased the familiarity of low usage segments such as housewives and the senior population with SMS utilities. Music: Mobile music comprises ringtones, caller ring-back tones, and music clips. Indians are known for their affinity for music and movies. According to a key official of Sony–BMG, approximately USD 0.22–0.26 M (INR 10–12 M)—about 5% of an album’s sales—can be generated from mobile revenues. A popular radio station, Radio Mirchi, receives approximately 40,000–50,000 SMSs daily with requests for songs to be played on air. Saregama (an Indian music company) generates 50% of its revenues from ringtones offered through its catalogue. 13
  • 14. Exhibit 7: Depicts the different MVAS categories Exhibit 7: Different MVAS Categories(6) Information Entertainment News alerts, stock Songs, ringtones, prices, air/rail ticket MVAS in caller ring back status, bank India tones (CRBTs), account balance/ wallpapers, games, transaction alerts jokes M-commerce Services allowing transactions on mobile phones e.g. purchase of tickets and other goods, payment for purchases Video/TV and Games: As depicted in Exhibit 7 above, advanced MVAS has just started to find market acceptance. These services include mobile TV/video, full-motion videos, wireless teleconferencing, multi-player online games, and M- commerce. These services typically require high bandwidth and a superior level of support technology than the currently available 2.5G. The introduction of 3G/4G in the near future is therefore expected to facilitate a wider portfolio of VAS available to mobile users. The video/TV and games segment of the MVAS market are expected to register the highest CAGR during 2004–2009. 14
  • 15. The MVAS Business Model Industry Value Chain MVAS has also resulted in the emergence of an entirely new business eco-system giving rise to supporting industries such as content development and aggregation(6). There are multiple stakeholders playing across the MVAS value chain many with overlapping roles and functions. A well demarcated value chain of MVAS is yet to evolve. Exhibit 8: Depicts the typical MVAS industry value chain. Exhibit 8: MVAS Value Chain(9) Mobile Handset Manufacturers Content Customized Content Mobile Network Copyright Content Portals/ Operators/Service End-user Owner Creators Aggregators Providers Role: Develop original Role: Companies which Role: Individuals/ Role: Provide copyright content generate user-defined organizations that transport and support Examples: Music content gather web content mechanism for mobile production houses Examples: Mauj, One and in some cases content delivery (SaReGaMa, Sony), 97, Hungama Mobile distribute content to Examples: Airtel, Bollywood production suit customer needs Reliance, BSNL, houses (Yash Raj Examples: Indiatimes, MTNL, Hutch, Idea Films), and media Hungama Mobile Cellular houses (Sony, Star, Zee) Either of these is generally referred to as ‘Content Provider’ Technology Enablers Role: Provide technology platforms that enable access to MVAS players Examples: OnMobile, Bharti Telesoft, Webaroo Represents overlap of players across segments to indicate presence in multiple segments. The main stakeholders involved in the VAS value chain are A typical value chain in the Content copyright owners: At the first level of the MVAS MVAS industry includes value chain are the content copyright owners, which develop content creators, original copyright content. Examples include music production aggregators, telecom houses (SaReGaMa, Sony), Bollywood production houses (Yash Raj Films), and media houses (Sony, Star, Zee, etc.) operators, technology Customized content creators: Refers to companies that companies, and mobile generate customized content for users through their own handset manufacturers portals. Examples include Mauj, One 97, and Hungama Mobile. Content portals/aggregators: These are individuals/ organizations that gather web content and in some cases distribute content to suit customer needs. Examples include Indiatimes and Hungama Mobile. Mobile operators: They provide transport and support mechanisms for delivery of mobile content. Examples include Airtel, Reliance, BSNL, MTNL, Hutch, Idea Cellular, etc. 15
  • 16. Technology enablers: On the other end of the value chain are technology enablers. These provide technology platforms that enable access to MVAS. Players include OnMobile, Bharti Telesoft, Webaroo, etc. Handset manufacturers: Mobile handset manufacturers have also started playing an important role, through their interaction with all other stakeholders across the value chain. Their activities include embedding software links in their handsets, allowing direct access to content portals, creating services customized to the need of certain regions, etc. Key players in the Indian market include Nokia, Motorola, and Samsung. Exhibit 9: Depicts the typical enterprise VAS Value Chain Exhibit 9: Enterprise VAS Value Chain Enterprise Mobile Network Enterprise Service Operator/Service End User Provider Provider Definition: Definition: Definition: Definition: Companies that Companies that send Companies that The customers that reach out to the messages in bulk to provide transport and the enterprises consumer on mobile the desired end support for the intend to reach platform users delivery of the information ACL Wireless MVAS has also provided a platform to enterprises to The enterprise VAS value communicate with existing and potential customers using chain comprises technology as a common denominator. enterprises, enterprise service providers, mobile In the context of MVAS, enterprise service providers are companies that reach out to the consumer through the operators, and users mobile platform. Enterprises across a wide range of industries such as financial services, retail, real estate, cargo and courier, and FMCG companies are using VAS as a marketing and customer development tool(6). The flow of information from the enterprise to the end-user can be either via automated alerts or user-generated requests. Though the inflow of revenue per unit may be low in the case of Enterprise VAS (usually USD 0.07/minute or INR 3/minute), this segment is likely to drive a sizeable contribution to the total MVAS market, given that an increasing number of industry verticals that interface directly with the consumer continue to adopt this channel as a means to communicate with their customers. 16
  • 17. Enterprises across a wide Other players in the Enterprise VAS chain include range of industries such as Enterprise services provider (ESP): Provides the financial services, retail, real interface between the enterprise and the mobile operator. estate, cargo and courier, ESPs are companies that send messages in bulk to the and FMCG companies are target end-users. Examples include One 97, Cellnext, and using VAS as a marketing ACL Wireless. and customer development tool Mobile operators: provide transport and support for delivery of information from enterprises to end-users through the ESPs. Examples include Airtel, Reliance, BSNL, MTNL, Hutch, Idea Cellular, etc. 17
  • 18. MVAS Platforms MVAS on Data/Text and Voice Platforms(6) Exhibit 10: Depicts the MVAS delivery on data/text and voice platforms Exhibit 10: MVAS on Data/Text and Voice Platforms(6) Data/Text MVAS Platforms Voice End- End-user calls up the service End-user sends request user/Service provider and avails of the as SMS Provider service SMS goes to server managed The call is routed to a server Platform Enabler by the Platform Enabler on managed by the platform behalf of the operator enabler Content is arranged by the The server interacts with Content operator from the content callers using IVRS, gathers Aggregator/ aggregator who procures it information and routes calls to Developer from the content developer the appropriate recipient This content is forwarded to The remaining process is Platform Enabler the platform enabler who same as for the text-based stores it on the server platform The server automatically and instantaneously entertains the request from the customer as all the MVAS are preloaded on to the server Voice-based services Even though voice-based VAS requires more effort to be require more efforts from expended by telecom operators, voice VAS generates more the operators and generate revenues compared to text-based services. more revenues compared to Per-unit voice-based MVAS generates more revenue than text- text-based services based MVAS on account of the following: The call charges are higher at USD 0.15/minute (INR6/7 per minute) for voice-based services versus USD 0.07/SMS (INR 3/SMS) for text-based services Selecting the service normally takes more than a minute Thus, for the same service, voice-based MVAS will generate significantly higher revenue than text-based MVAS As the penetration of MVAS grows in rural India, the necessity and importance of “Interactive Voice Recognition” (IVR) systems will increase. Rural users will be more comfortable with an interactive voice platform in the local language as opposed to punching numbers to exercise their options. 18
  • 19. Revenue Sharing in MVAS Exhibit 11: Captures the revenue flow in the case of enterprise and non-enterprise MVAS Exhibit 11: Revenue Flow in Enterprise and Non-Enterprise MVAS Enterprises pay the Operator retains the End user does not pay Automated ESP keeps 25–30% of ESP about INR 0.45– balance (65–70%) of for the services Alerts revenue generated 0.55/SMS the revenue received Enterprise VAS Enterprise Mobile Network VAS(D) Enterprise ESP(C) Operator/Service End User Provider User- User pays for Enterprise ESP keeps the balance Operator keeps 70% of generated requesting information does not get any revenue share (30%) of revenue the revenue Requests (usually INR 3) Content Network Non-enterprise VAS Non- Content Copyright Content Creator Portals/ Operators/ End User Enterprise Owners Aggregators Service Providers VAS The end user pays User- Royalties paid out the Content creators Content aggregators for the content generated copyright owner The operator keeps keep 10–15% of receive approx. (usually INR 10 for comprises 10–15% of 60–70% of revenue Requests revenue 15–25% of revenue wallpaper, INR 50 for total revenue games, etc) Operators retain almost 70% Current Revenue Sharing Arrangements of the revenues across the Operators typically retain the largest chunk of revenues across value chain the value chain. Revenue sharing arrangement for non-enterprise MVAS is typically 60–70% for the operators, 15– 25% for the content aggregators, and 10–15% for content creators. Further, royalties paid out to the copyright owner accounts for 10–15% of the total revenues. In India, operators dominate the revenue sharing arrangements due to the following reasons:(8),(10) Control over data inside pipe: Operators randomly block access to sites, thereby hampering content players’ reach. “Walled Garden” in handset equipment: The browsing environment in the handsets controls information and web access by users, thus reducing direct communication avenues between the user and content providers. Too many contenders for a small pie: There are numerous small content players grappling for business in the various MVAS segments, e.g., sports alerts, ringtones/music, etc. Lack of adequate copyright protection: This hampers the growth of branded content and hence reduces the bargaining power of content providers. Similar to non-enterprise MVAS, even in the case of enterprise solution services, the operators retain almost 70% of the revenue, while the remaining 30% accrues to the service providers. The revenue sharing arrangements in India are significantly different from those in evolved mobile markets such as China, where the share of the operator ranges between 20–30%, and the aggregators and content owners keep a majority of the pie. However, stakeholders across the value chain are using diverse strategies to boost their revenues. 19
  • 20. Exhibit 12: Depicts the competitive landscape of the MVAS industry, and different strategies of players across the value chain Exhibit 12: Competitive Landscape of the MVAS Industry(11) Player Hungama IMImobile Star India One97 VoiceGate OnMobile Paymate Mobile Inception Current Inception Current Inception Current Inception Current Inception Current Inception Current Inception Current Segment Presence Technology Enabler Content Aggregator Content Provider Movies/Music End-to-end Exclusive Regional Specialized in Wide Array of Secure Payment Industry: Solutions: Content: Content/Music: Voice-based Offerings: System Exclusive content Voice and Data Owns/Acquires In 12 Indian Services: Voice SMS and voice Products/Offerings USP platforms allowing copyrights languages mail, voice logging, platforms; Content integration of voice voice recording, aggregation and and data access etc. sourcing points and products Operator logos; Technology Entertainment: Mobile content, Interactive voice Contests, M-commerce: Picture messages; platforms, Movies, music, network VAS, response systems infotainment, Online shopping, Bollywood software, sports enterprise interactive media, purchasing Products/ wallpapers/ applications business services, M-commerce, movie/airline Information: Services ringtones/games; marketing and missed call alert, tickets, payment of Banking, travel, Applications; revenue sharing Msearch, music, bills using mobile news, etc. Information applications mobile marketing, phones services voice SMS Mobile Movies: Customized Target Youth: Innovate: Integrate: Strengthen : Expansion: Take Bollywood Solutions: Interactive With regards to Enter content Partnership: More tie-ups with Future Plan movies to mobile Partner with key games, content, aggregation and Work closely with banks and widen phones operators/device Wallpapers/ information, and content network scope of manufacturers Ringtones/Video intelligent development operators and payment services and offer mails based on transactions arena with portal content providers customized youth VG4Mobile and solutions entertainment invest in state-of- programs the-art studio 20
  • 21. Most players in the MVAS Evolving Strategies of Shareholders across the MVAS industry are targeting Value Chain specific market segments with differentiated Stakeholders across the value chain are adopting innovative positioning strategies strategies to gain a chunk of the revenues. Content copyright owners and content creators(8): Creators of original content have traditionally commanded a revenue share significantly less than that of mobile operators. Media companies are fast emerging to play the role of content copyright owners and content creators. Currently, media companies command 30% of the revenues, while operators and content aggregators account for 60% and 10% of the total revenue respectively. Of late, media companies have been making a case for a higher share of the revenue pie. However, for obvious reasons operators have a conflicting viewpoint on this. Media companies want a The operators believe that since they make the investment in the bigger share of the revenue network and control access to the consumers, they should be in a pie commanding position, and retain a major chunk of the revenues from MVAS. The President of the Applications and Solutions Group of a leading telecom group argues(8): At the international level, operators pay revenue share only on the basis of actual downloads. In India, the figure of revenue share is calculated including network usage and subscription fee, and therefore, the percentage that comes back to the operator needs to be larger. Media companies contend that the fragmented and oversupplied content market will work in their favor for the following reasons: It is easier for media companies to procure quality content in a fragmented market when compared to mobile companies who do not have much experience in this domain. As the need for differentiated content (specifically with TV, music, news, and more audio-visual content) gains importance, media companies are expected to gain momentum and enter into alliances with other players. Media Companies Gear Up for MVAS(8) Big media firms (Star, Sony, and Bennett Coleman and Company Limited) set up dedicated divisions for mobile entertainment in 2006. In January 2007, Star India introduced “PLUS” offering a variety of television entertainment contests and latest happenings on SMS. The CEO of a leading Indian media house believes that mobile telephony will eventually bring in 30% of the company’s revenues. The Director (Interaction) of an Indian media buying and planning firm believes that the work of media companies is primarily “brand centric.” o For example, if an FMCG player’s creative and media plan demands a mobile play, in the form of a contest, poll or plain branding, then the media planning firm will look for content or partnerships that can be leveraged to promote the brand on a mobile phone. 21
  • 22. Wider portfolios and (12),(13) integration along the value Content aggregators/providers : Content aggregators are chain could improve MVAS aggrieved by similar concerns as content owners with respect to revenues of content revenue sharing across the MVAS value chain. They have sought to counter this issue by widening their portfolio of offerings and aggregators/providers integrating along the MVAS value chain. On Mobile’s Business Strategy(12) On Mobile has moved beyond its traditional role of being an MVAS technology enabler with a wide array of platforms, applications, and professional services. The company now offers ringtones, sports alerts, horoscopes, and other services. Its call interactive media portal found use in popular television shows such as quick contests (Kaun Banega Crorepati) and singing competitions such as (Indian Idol and Super Singer). Star Television’s Business Strategy(13) In January 2007, Star Network launched its PLUS service, a 24- hour mobile platform allowing single-point access through a mobile telephone to television, shopping, banking, and other useful services. Handset manufacturers: Handset manufacturers have also partnered with players across the MVAS value chain to create a sustainable basis for differentiation. Handset manufacturers are partnering with players across the MVAS value Nokia Partners with Content Owners chain to enhance their and Aggregators(14) products Nokia has tied up with Indiagames.com and Mauj to offer downloads (along with free previews) of ringtones and games. The company has also entered into an agreement with Malayala Manorama, a leading regional newspaper, to offer direct access to content from the newspaper through its handsets sold in the southern part of the country. Samsung has Tied Up with Content Aggregators(19) Samsung has tied up with Indiagames and Mauj and to launch the Samsung Fan Club Website, which offers ringtones, wallpapers, and Java-based games. 22
  • 23. Operators have tied-up Mobile operators: Like other players across the value chain, stakeholders across the mobile operators too are following the path of integration across the MVAS value chain to MVAS value chain. enhance their offerings BSNL BSNL has entered into an agreement with Indiagames.com to offer online games on demand to BSNL subscribers. Airtel(16),(17),(20) Airtel has entered into the following tie-ups to enhance its service offerings ESPN—an international sports channel, for live match alerts Sony Entertainment Network—for voting for television contests IMI Mobile—for Tamil voice portal with ringtones, greetings, and other services Walt Disney(15) Walt Disney entered into agreements with Airtel, Hutch, and Reliance Communications to offer comic strips and full-length stories on mobile phones. Cellebrum(18) Cellebrum—a technology enabler, tied up with Idea, Reliance Communications, and Spice to offer background music services through IVRS. Declining call tariffs and ARPU, coupled with shrinking margins, are putting tremendous pressure on the mobile operators to work in collaboration with other stakeholders to sustain their revenue growth. In order to achieve this, the operators will be required to suitably reward other stakeholders by reducing a substantial part of their current revenue share. Further, other stakeholders have integrated across the value chain and are in a better bargaining position for higher revenue share as compared to the past. 23
  • 24. Barriers to Growth of MVAS in India The challenges emanate from the fact that this segment of the Indian telecom industry is still in a nascent stage and the rules of the game are still evolving. Further, apart from the operators, there is a large number of small players operating across the value chain. The challenges posed to the industry that are likely to hinder projected growth are as follows: Authentication standards: Presently, there are no authentication standards set out for operators and aggregators that apply to the download of content(10). This needs to be addressed by the institution of standards by an industry governing body such as the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) to authenticate the flow of information. This will help create trust among different stakeholders across the MVAS value chain. Copyright protection: As stated earlier, the regulatory framework for copyright protection continues to remain weak despite the extension of existing copyright laws to content, with several instances of violations. In the wake of inadequate remedial action on this front, the MVAS segment is likely to be disadvantaged. The industry requires a stringent regulatory framework in place, to encourage the flow of branded content to consumers. This will instill trust and confidence among various stakeholders across the value chain, leading to increased revenues from data services in the long run. Low feature handsets: Despite considerable growth in mobile subscriber base, low feature handsets continue to remain the order of the day. The purchase decision for handsets continues to be driven by basic utility for voice(6). According to the India Mobile Handset Usage Satisfaction Study 2006, an integrated digital camera, FM Radio, and speaker phone features remain the most likely upgrade drivers. Features such as Tri-band, Bluetooth, Infrared Port, etc., are growing, but are far from developing mass appeal(26). The lack of widespread adoption of feature-rich mobile handsets is a barrier to the growth of MVAS in India. However, in the recent past, prices of feature-rich handsets have declined sharply owing to increasing competition among manufacturers and technological advances. There will be a move towards advanced feature handsets in the future even if need and lifestyle do not justify it(26). Low “General Packet Radio Services” (GPRS) connectivity: GPRS connectivity in India continues to be low given limited handset capability and operator constraints. There is a large population of users who are not familiar with accessing GPRS. Despite its limitation in terms of number of characters (160 characters) and being more cumbersome, SMS continues to be the most popular delivery channel. In comparison, GRPS will provide a rich as well as user-friendly online experience. This can only pick up once the penetration of feature rich handsets grows, and operators (27) provide free GPRS connection . 24
  • 25. Transparency in revenue sharing arrangements: The current revenue sharing arrangements favor the operators, and are in stark contrast to the business models in established markets such as China, Japan, and Europe. The market is highly unregulated and the absence of an apex body has led operators to pursue obfuscation strategies. The Indian MVAS industry needs to take a close look at best practices in developed markets to design a fair revenue distribution system, whereby creators/owners are adequately rewarded for creating higher quality content(10). There is a need to create a transparent framework that clearly sets out balanced revenue sharing arrangements, with a fair system of payouts to different stakeholders across the value chain. Excessive focus on entertainment-related VAS: The MVAS market in India continues to be focused on entertainment (movies, music and sports) catering to the needs of the younger consumer segment. Going forward, there is a need to focus on information VAS and transactional VAS (M-commerce), ensuring even growth among all consumer segments. 25
  • 26. The Future of MVAS in India Revenue sharing arrangement in the future(10): The current revenue sharing model gives limited incentive for growth of the The revenue share of MVAS ecosystem; hence, operators will need to encourage other operators is expected to players by sacrificing revenue share. decline significantly by 2010 Operators will have to use MVAS to differentiate themselves from competitors and hence will become more dependent on content providers and aggregators for quality content. Content developers and aggregators are identifying ways for delivering higher value to the operators. The popularity of high-end informational and transactional activity will increase the bargaining power of content providers, as will the introduction of 3G. Multiple small content aggregators will consolidate and grow stronger, and will thus be in a position to demand a higher revenue share. Exhibit 13: Captures anticipated changing revenue sharing arrangements going forward Exhibit 13: Revenues Sharing Arrangements (Now and Future) Revenue Sharing Arrangements—2006 Network Content Content Content Operators/ Copyright Portals/ End Users Creators Service Owners Aggregators Providers 40% 60% Revenue Sharing Arrangements—2010(E) Network Content Content Content Operators/ Copyright Portals/ End Users Creators Service Owners Aggregators Providers 70% 30% The share of operators is expected to decline from the current 60% to 30% by 2010, with other players across the value chain accounting for almost 70%, as compared to 40% at present. The revenue sharing model in the future in India is expected to replicate the model seen in developed MVAS markets such as China, Japan, and Europe. 26
  • 27. NTT DoCoMo: Case Study(29)–(32) NTT DoCoMo is Japan’s leading wireless communications provider and one of the world’s largest mobile internet providers. The company launched “i-mode—mobile internet services” to address the offset decline in voice-based ARPU and maintain subscriber growth. The new services gained considerable popularity, with the subscriber base growing from 1 million in August 1999, to almost 45 million in August 2005. i-mode enables users to access customized content over a packet- based network. On the i-mode server, there are both “official” and “independent” content sites. As of January 2005, i-mode provides access to 6,700 official sites and more than 80,000 independent i-mode sites. As per the contractual agreement between NTT DoCoMo and content providers, the former collects the content charge from the subscribers and retains a commission of 9%, while passing on the rest to the content providers. However, in the case of “independent” websites, users must pay the owner directly for the content. The company’s revenue sharing arrangements with Internet content providers have provided significant incentives to the latter in developing high-quality content, and revenue sharing is been widely regarded as a key to i-mode’s success. The applications of the future include regional New application areas(6),(21)–(23): Applications with respect to the content, mobile internet, and future of MVAS in India will include several new and exciting areas location-based services such as mobile internet, location-based services, and regional content-based services. Mobile internet will gain ground with leading players in the internet content space as they configure their sites for access through mobile phones. The setting up of a special “mobi domain”(C3) will also promote the widespread usage of GPRS applications. Location based services comprise among others, GPS services, social networking services (Friend Finder), and information services (Mobile Yellow Pages, City Sightseeing). According to Juniper Research, worldwide carrier revenues from location-based services will climb from around USD 1 B in 2005 to nearly USD 8.5 B by 2010, registering an increase of 53% per annum. Mobile content customized to a certain target region is also being looked at as a source for higher mobile penetration and revenues in Maturity of MVAS is both rural as well as urban areas. The diversity in languages (24 expected to give impetus to different languages) and dialects (1,642 dialects) in India creates a M-commerce large potential market for regional content. Companies have been very receptive to this trend, and are developing innovative strategies to capitalize on regional opportunities. Recent initiatives Government policies and include Nokia’s agreement with Malayala Manorama for a mobile- advances in technology will based vernacular news portal for subscribers based in Kerala, and Airtel’s launch of a VAS portal in Kannada with ringtone downloads, help to make rural India a (17),(21) song downloads, and dedications . lucrative MVAS market (C) The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has approved the quot;.mobiquot; domain suffix for the exclusive use of cell phone users (28) accessing the Internet 27
  • 28. The growth of M-commerce(24): Maturity in MVAS will also give a strong impetus to market growth for M-commerce applications in India. The services presently offered in India include information based services (account balance and activity alerts, foreign exchange rate notifications, etc.) and transaction services (securities trade, cash roll-overs, debt trade, stop-payments). Their growth, however, is limited by low user awareness and confidence- in-use, and by infrastructural constraints and high pricing. What is needed, therefore, is close cooperation between the telecom industry on one hand and banks on the other. Support from the telecom industry for new services will help extend their reach to new customer segments (e.g., M-commerce in rural areas) and this will increase their profitability. Such partnerships between banks and the telecom industry also facilitate mainstreaming and differentiation of new services and offered. MVAS for the rural market(25): India’s rural market represents a segment with huge potential for MVAS. It is predicted that rural subscribers will grow at a CAGR of 85% during 2007–2011, as against the urban subscriber base which is expected to grow at just under 24% during the same period. Success here, though, is dependent on the interplay of a multitude of complex factors. On one hand, Government policies will probably play the most critical role in growth of MVAS in rural India. These will affect penetration drivers such as the level of competition in the sector, tariff and non-tariff barriers for ICT products, and use of Universal Service Obligation Funds for development of rural telephony. The subscriber base in these areas will require customized services such as crop price alerts, microfinance scheme information, installment due alerts, etc. Exhibit 14 depicts the projected growth in rural and urban mobile subscriber base in India from 2007 to 2011 Exhibit 14: Growth in Rural and Urban Mobile Subscriber Base Impressive growth in the country’s mobile subscriber base will be driven by a large projected 38.6% increase in the rural subscriber base 500.00 460.56 450.00 400.00 CAGR: 40.80% 350.00 210.00 Subscriber Base (in M) 300.00 16.4% 250.00 200.00 165.01 CAGR: 85.05% 150.00 33.14 250.56 100.00 131.97 50.00 CAGR: 23.83% 0.00 2007 Year 2011(E) Urban Subscribers Rural Subscribers Total Subscriber Base Mobile Penetration in India 28
  • 29. The Way Forward India’s telecom industry has posed unique challenges for mobile operators. MVAS has emerged as a great opportunity to rescue the industry from the declining ARPU. From the above analysis, it is clear that the MVAS space is set to witness a high growth trajectory, creating tremendous opportunities. However, stakeholders across the value chain will have to work collaboratively to overcome barriers and create a business ecosystem that generates fair rewards for all the players. 29