Caught in a rut of declining growth and shrinking margins, mobile network operators are still standing on the frontier of the not-so-new technologies. While migration from 2G to 3G network may take place sooner or later, it is instructive to ask what is it that would be there in the future which is missing now. Well, a recent development shows a sign of things to come. It is Mobilinks recent launch of JazzBananas - an online app store which Mobilink customers can use to download mobile apps and other content for their desired handsets. The handsets currently supported are Symbian/JAVA and Android enabled handsets. Not just for tech-savvy subscribers, the app store seems to target everyone as the online content includes apps ranging from games, ringtones, themes and other apps related to business, health, education and finance. Telecom analysts have always maintained that it is the value added services which hold the key to growth in the mobile telephony sector. However, Pakistani MNOs rarely went beyond cheap SMS bundles and inadequate internet buckets. Mobilink believes that the app store is a great addition to their VAS portfolio as it complements their existing products. Mobilink seems to be getting ready for the 3G technology regime with this launch as the market leader intends JazzBananas to provide top-of-the-line 3G apps and support for new handsets in the future to ensure that the needs of all segments are fulfilled.Lately, the mobile applications developed by Pakistani firms as well as Pakistani-origin IT professionals have made their presence felt on the international arena. Their mobile apps have topped user preferences across different Smartphone markets and are featured on major mobile portals like Blackberry App World, Apple store, Android market and Nokia Ovi store. Globally, mobile application development for smartphones is big bucks. According to a latest research by esearch2guidance, a mobile research firm; the market for mobile application development services is estimated to be worth $100 billion by 2015, from $10.2 billion in 2010. So what does the launch of Pakistans first-ever (integrated) online app store mean for local application developers? Mobilinks spokesperson shared with BR Research that "the specialized developers zone, called ananas factory, will facilitate user generated content (UGC) for the first time in Pakistan. The developers can publish/upload their content on JazzBananas and earn revenue per download through a revenue sharing model (for paid apps only). All the content is subject to Mobilinks approval". A creative and competitive local application development market would provide a launching pad for many budding IT professionals, to grind their skills for a much-larger and more-rewarding international scene. Globally, third-party app developers are much in demand as publishers of mobile applications do not have in-house resources to develop these on their own, while demand from mobile platforms keeps growing. This move by Mobilink must be closely watched by its competitors, and if it gets initial success, that might attract competition too. Globally, mobile applications are developed for (and compatible with) specific handsets, and not for the service provider. This could change in Pakistan with the launch of this app store, as application developers might exclusively sell on the app store of a specific MNO. If that happens, it would be interesting to see whose way the creative juices flow.
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