Research indicates $6 billion sponsored data opportunity in Asia

Mobile tech company Syniverse commissioned some research prior to MWC Asia to look into consumer attitudes to sponsored mobile usage in the region.

The headline findings were that almost two thirds of Asian punters (62%) are willing to accept sponsored data packages in return for free data access. This in turn could lead to an increase in data usage of 40%, which was then extrapolated with the help of economists at SEEC to a $6 billion revenue opportunity for operators and their partners by 2019.

The research was conducted by On Device Research, who surveyed 3,500 people across seven Asian countries including China, India and South Korea. As well as the broad acceptance of sponsored data as a cheap way of getting online, half of respondents said they’d be happy to receives coupon offers from sponsors, The favoured type of sponsor was entertainment companies, so sponsored video content could well be the key opportunity.

“Content providers, mobile service providers and consumers have been stuck in a no-win situation when it comes to mobile data usage,” said Mary Clark, Syniverse CMO. “Consumers want to use more data along with richer mobile engagement, and operators and content providers are missing out on the revenue that this usage could deliver. The results of this study underline the business case that should motivate operators and their partners to consider sponsored-data plans as a way to drive revenue as well as consumer engagement.”

“Our analysis shows that the sponsored-data model has the potential to substantially affect consumers’ behavior favorably for all parties involved,” said Sam Brown, CEO of SEEC. “The key to unlocking this potential, however, will be the ability of sponsors and operators to work together to hone highly personalized offers that meet individual user expectations and requirements for engagement.”

Here’s an infographic highlighting some other findings of the survey.