Mobile Web "Worth $13bn by 2011"

The market for mobile user-generated content (UGC) services like Tocmag will be worth $13.2bn by 2011, according to research published by  Informa Telecoms and Media and the Mobile Entertainment Forum (MEF).
Tocmag, which launched in the UK recently, offers users the ability to create six-page mobile magazines which can be filled with text, images, audio and video. As the first free UGC application for mobiles to go live, Tocmag’s launch is a significant milestone for the burgeoning ‘Mobile Web 2.0’ market, say Informa and the MEF. 
According to M:Metrics, 29% of UK mobile owners currently use the mobile Internet. According to the research, this figure will rise significantly over the next year as increasing numbers of mobile UGC services enter the fray. Informa and the MEF say  that early efforts in this space, such as Orange’s highly-successful ‘buff or rough’ concept, suggest that mobile UGC will prove the ‘killer app’ for mobile internet. They argue, too, that this idea is well-supported by Tocmag’s impressive beta user stats. Between May this year and the official launch of the service two weeks ago, more than 10,000 Tocmags were built, generating almost 125,000 downloads – entirely by word of mouth.
Such stats, combined with general mobile UGC market projections) have attracted plenty of VC interest in Tocmag.
“We’ve discussed some excellent offers”  says Tocmag Founder Brad Ells. “Mobile UGC is hot property currently, and we’re the first service to go live. We will continue to review funding options, but for the time being we’re happy to remain self-funded.”
Currently, Tocmag is both free to use and has no adverts.
“We want to build a solid Tocmag user base before exploring potential revenue streams” says Ells. “We know we have an excellent product and increasingly high demand. We’re in no rush to monetise: we’re looking to secure user loyalty at this early stage.”

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