Data revenue from Indian subcontinent to reach $10 billion by 2015

Data revenue in the Indian subcontinent is expected to increase from $4 billion (about Rs 18,300 crore) in 2010 to $10 billion (approximately Rs 45,730 crore) in 2015, according to a new study by Juniper Research.
The study goes on to say that this growth will be driven by telecom operators seeking to offset a sharp decrease in voice ARPU in the subcontinent by focusing on mobile data strategies. This will in turn create tremendous opportunity in the content and applications sector.

Juniper found that while mobile content is currently dominated by the music sector, user generated content will surpass music by 2015. Other entertainment categories such as infotainment will also grow significantly during the period.
Nitin Smitha, the author of this report, says, "With operators following the app store concept and launching their own app stores, the mobile content sector is set for substantial development, meaning the amount of content available to consumers will rapidly multiply; hence increasing consumption and revenue."
The study observed that 3G services will further boost data revenue, and added that the adoption of 3G will be constrained by high costs of appropriate handsets.
The report by Juniper also forecasts that the mobile user base in India will rise from 814 million this year to nearly 1.3 billion in 2015, and expects India to contribute the largest share of cumulative regional revenues over the forecast period, followed by Bangladesh.
The report is a study of the five markets in the Indian subcontinent - Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. It includes regional analyses and forecasts in mobile content, applications and mobile commerce.