Current research conducted by Mobile Planet Limited (MPL), a Kenyan company that develops data applications for mobile devices, indicates that Africa’s mobile commerce and advertising will increase significantly and become a multi-billion dollar business in the next decade, a trend that corporates need to adjust to if they intend to remain relevant.

Mobile Planet Limited provides technical platforms which allow corporates to interact with mobile subscribers. According to MPL over the next ten years, consumers will have a lot more information about products and services that will not only be generated by corporates, but will come from the users as well.

The expansion of mobile phone usage and the evolution of ICTs has slowly transformed various sectors of the economy. A case in point is the banking and financial sector which now enjoy reduced investment on banking infrastructure due to mobile banking which is becoming mor and more relevant in many African countries.

Over the last 10 years the mobile telephone in Africa has evolved from being used primarily for voice calls and SMS to a device that enables mobile subscribers to access a wide variety of products and services at the touch of a button. This has been pushed by the affordability, accessibility, and availability of mobile communication technology.

“The Internet is one of the mobile communication technology space that is growing in Africa; with this, the next ten years will be about mobile Internet and mobile applications.  In fact, all data indicates that access to the Internet in Africa will mostly be through mobile phones and devices,” commented Mobile Planet Limited CEO, Karanja Macharia.

Macharia was speaking at a workshop in Southern Sun Hotel, Nairobi organized by MPL. The workshop was aimed at creating awareness of the company’s involvement in developing solutions for mobile phone companies as well as other corporates in Kenya.

“The last ten years of MPL were about SMS. The next ten years will be about mobile Internet and mobile apps.  We will take what we learnt about mobile subscribers in the last ten years and apply the know-how into building new and innovative mobile web applications that will help empower mobile subscribers,” adds Karanja.

MPL was originally formed to provide mobile subscribers with news via SMS on their mobile phones, a service which made mobile networks attractive to potential subscribers.  It’s mission statement is: “Empowering African people through mobile device applications.” In 2001, the company developed the first SMS based radio campaign in Kenya and returned National Election results on SMS back then in December 2002.