Operator revenue from data is projected to surpass voice revenue by 2018, according to research released by the GSMA at the start of the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.
The report highlights an explosion in mobile data driven by growing demand for connected devices and machine-to-machine (M2M) communication, a trend the GSMA says is transforming socioeconomic conditions in both developed and developing countries.
Compiled in association with PwC, the study outlines how mobile products and services are poised to change how people live and work worldwide over the next five years.
Key projected benefits in developed countries:
- mHealth could save about $400 billion in healthcare costs across OECD countries.
- Connected cars with emergency-call services could prevent roughly one in nine road fatalities.
- Mobile-enabled education could reduce student dropouts by eight percent, preventing roughly 1.8 million children from leaving school early.
- Smart metering could cut carbon emissions by an estimated 27 million tonnes—equivalent to planting around 1.2 billion trees.
Key projected benefits in developing countries:
- mHealth initiatives could help save more than one million lives in sub-Saharan Africa.
- Mobile-enabled improvements to food transport and storage could increase food availability enough to feed more than 40 million people annually—roughly the population of Kenya.
- mEducation could provide opportunities for an additional 180 million students to continue their education.
- Intelligent transport systems could reduce commute times by up to 35 percent, effectively returning a full week each year to commuters.
Improvements in data connectivity have particularly accelerated the M2M sector. Four main categories have emerged, building on the evolution of mobile broadband: health, automotive, education and smart cities.
mHealth – Mobile connectivity can play a significant role in fighting malaria, tuberculosis, HIV and perinatal conditions. Greater use of mobile health services could save over one million lives in sub-Saharan Africa by 2017. In developed markets, mHealth products and services are expected to reduce healthcare spending by about $400 billion annually by 2017.
mAutomotive – In developing nations, an estimated 240 million tonnes of food spoil annually during transit and in storage. Using mobile technology to track trucks, optimise fleet performance and monitor storage temperatures could prevent much of this loss, increasing food availability enough to feed approximately 40 million people in 2017. In OECD countries, connected cars equipped with in-vehicle emergency call services could help save roughly 35,000 lives by 2017 by enabling faster and more precise emergency response.
mEducation – Mobile phones, e-readers and tablets enable flexible learning and are expected to boost primary and secondary student retention in developed countries by about eight percent, potentially keeping 1.8 million children in school by 2017. In developing regions, where only about 10 percent of the 610 million primary-school students are expected to progress to secondary education, mobile education initiatives could expand opportunities so that roughly 180 million students remain in or return to education over the next five years.
Smart Cities – Intelligent transport systems that monitor traffic flows and promote public transport use can significantly reduce commute times. In emerging smart cities, these systems could cut journey times by up to 35 percent, effectively giving commuters back an entire week each year.
“Mobile data is not just a commodity; it is becoming the lifeblood of our daily lives, society and economy, with more and more connected people and devices,” said Michael O’Hara, Chief Marketing Officer at the GSMA.
“This brings an immense responsibility. The mobile industry must continue working with governments and key sectors to deliver products and services that help people and improve societies and businesses globally.”
For more information about mHealth, see the IoT Tech Expo Europe programme for mHealth sessions and related tracks at the IoT Tech Expo Europe event held in London’s Olympia on 2–3 December, 2015.