Advertising on mobile phones is on course to top $3 billion by the end of the year, according to a recent report.The project, undertaken by ABI research, also predicts that mobile advertising revenues will increase 13 times over between 2006 and 2011.
Most of the growth in revenue is expected to come, initially, from SMS advertising and then, later, from the expansion of mobile internet, video and television.
Judith Rosall, ABI principal analyst, pointed out that mobile phones offer different advertising opportunities to home computers.
Ms Rosall claimed that "unlike the PC, a mobile device offers a uniquely personalised communications channel."
"Carriers worldwide have quite a bit of information about their end-users: name, sex, age, geographical location," she said.
Advertising could potentially, therefore, be tailored to each individual user.
Ms Rosall also pointed out that, with most customers, "the carriers probably also know something about their economic status and credit record."
Some new mobile companies are already doing some radical thinking about the future role of advertising in their business.
Blyk, which operates via the Orange network, is to launch a service this summer which offers free phone calls to users who will accept advertising on their telephones.
