Telephony: Intelligence From The Broadband Economy

Byline: Jason Ankeny

Both the 2005 major league baseball season and the NBA playoffs are under way - what better time to note that according to Juniper Research, global revenues from mobile sports services will more than double this year to $1.3 billion, galvanized by the increasing popularity and availability of text-based sports bulletins, highlights clips and streaming video services. While the European market presently accounts for 69% of mobile sports revenues, Juniper says the U.S. and Asia are both poised for dramatic usage bursts, anticipating the U.S. market will grow to more than $1 billion by 2009. If those numbers are impressive, consider the possibilities if mobile gambling were added to the mix. According to a separate Juniper report, the market for mobile sports betting is set to explode from current levels of 4.6 million wireless gamblers per year to 100 million high-rollers by 2009, spurred by an Asian market. Mobile betting in all forms is currently prohibited in the U.S., however, although Juniper says the market - currently projected to generate revenues of $19.3 billion by 2009 - could be worth much more should U.S. legislators loosen the reins.