Mobile barcodes get big boost

SURFING THE mobile Internet will have become a piece of cake by 2009, thanks to 2D barcodes says market watcher, World Forum Research.

By 2009, 70 per cent of consumers in the US and Europe will regularly use 2D barcodes on their mobiles, the company's latest report, 'How to boost mobile content access' predicts.

Lead author, Jan Kuczynski, a research manager with World Forum Research, says, "Mobile hyperlinks using 2D barcodes, RFID and image recognition have revolutionised how consumers access mobile content in advanced mobile markets such as Japan and Korea."

Jan reckons it took four years for mobile hyperlinks to become truly mainstream in the Far East but Europe and North America will swiftly follow suit.

"They [barcodes] increase traffic for content providers, they help marketers find out more about their audience, and, most importantly, they provide a great consumer experience," Kuczynsk added.

Other keys to boosting mobile content access covered in the report include RFID and using audio links which the handset will be able to correctly interpret.

One of the lesser known companies covered in the report is MobileAMA with a technology it calls V-Code. It remains to be seen whether US based MobileAMA will be able to effectively challenge established players like Abaxia and Neomedia. µ

L'INQ
World Forum