The TIE-ISB Connect is happening in Hyderabad and as I blog this the session on Internet and Mobile is coming towards its end.  This session had a lot of talk on how mobile can have applications for data and internet that can make a major impact. There was also talk on mobile advertising and how it has huge opportunity in the future to be big.

The panelists included Samir Sood - Head M&A Google, Mahesh Murthy CEo Pinstorm and Founder SeedFund, Vani Kola - NEA-Indo US Ventures, AR Vishvanathan - IMI Mobile, GV Kumar - Megasoft, Anil - Packet Mobile, Hwaypyng Tzeng - Sierra Atlantic and Guru Thalapaneni  - Remoba.

The  session was kicked off by Anil from Packet mobile who made the following points..

1) Revenue per user from voice is falling

2) No single application or service works across networks and devices.

3) Successfull applications on mobiles have been ones where the mobile manufacturer and the application developer has been one and the same. For eg. Push mail by Blackberry and push to talk by Motorola.

4) Voice is designed for low signal and data needs high signal strength.

5) Mobile data transfer is still very expensive.

6) On the internet facebook like applications have worked but the mobile may not have the same applications being a rage. Mobile needs applications that can do one thing anddo it really well.

 GV kumar  - Megasoft has had the following points to make..

1) Voice on mobile will be be free

2) Mobile advertising will be the revenue model for most mobile services provider.

3) Focus has to shift form network providers to service providers.

Mahesh Murthy had the following point to make..

 1) Advertising models will make more revenue than subscription based.

Samir Sood M&A Google India had this to say..

1) Mobile ads will be the revenue model of the future. SMS’s will be free and they would be monetised through ads.

2) The best way to know what will work in the future in the mobile space is to go and meet school kids who are having their first interactions with the mobile device and build insights from interactions with them.

After the panel discussions there have been many questions from the audience where some of them even questioned whether India was ready for such kind of development in mobile space. One classic question was “My dad doesnt even know how to sms.. He give 25 missed calls to relatives while trying to sms.. How can all these new age applications, internet on mobile work when phones are getting more and more complex to use?” .. The answer by one of the panelists was.. “Voice sms is something that might be reality soon”

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