We are pleased to be partnering with Analyst Perspectives and offering an excerpt of their high valued content. Click here to download the full report.
  
Mobile email is one of the most prominent enterprise mobility applications in use by enterprises today. The increasing number of mobile workers and an increasing focus on operational efficiency are some of the factors driving the uptake of mobile email solutions among enterprises. Mobile email also presents mobile operators with the opportunity to boost ARPU levels. The cannibalization of SMS revenues is one concern which is believed to be holding back some mobile operators from promoting mobile email. This concern, according to some analysts, is unfounded, as mobile email is not expected to supplant SMS anytime in the near future.
  
Last year, the mobile email market witnessed the first wave of consolidation with Nokia buying Intellisync and Motorola following up with the acquisition of one of the leading push-email providers, Good Technology. The current spate of IP violation suits in the mobile email market suggests that competition is still hot in this space (AT&T, Verizon Wireless, and Sprint Nextel are all under IP-violation suits filed by Technology licensing firm NTP).
  
We believe that mobile email is poised for wider success in the enterprise domain than in the consumer domain. This is because mobile email has a stronger value-proposition for the enterprise segment. The heavy data users in the consumer segment are likely to be more inclined towards entertainment applications such as ringtones, wallpapers, and games. The ability to access email on the go is not a feature that will seemingly be of utmost value addition to them. Although communication is an important factor for this segment, the means of communicating with peers will likely take place through impulse-driven channels such as SMS, MMS, and mobile IM.
  
In the enterprise segment, mobile email can be particularly beneficial for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). Mobile email solutions have so far typically been beyond the affordability of SMBs. Besides, the complexity of managing a wireless email infrastructure has also been a significant bottleneck. This is changing today with the availability of hosted email solutions. An example is the recent partnership between mobile email provider Visto and Sotto Wireless, a hosted communications service that combines the mobility of devices with the functionality of office phone systems.
  
We believe that as mobile email becomes more prominent in the enterprise, handset manufacturers need to integrate convenient emailing facilities as standard features in their handsets, especially in smartphone models. Strong security features integrated in the solutions and easy integration with existing corporate email infrastructure will also prove to be winning factors.
  
The popularity of email as a medium of communication and the ubiquity of mobile phones have given rise to the inevitable combination of mobile email, or email on the go. Mobile email, one of the most prominent enterprise mobility applications, has become an important means of enhancing business productivity and maintaining better work-life balance among the world’s increasing base of mobile workers. In comparison, the consumer email market is still in the nascent stages. However, it is likely that this segment will gradually appeal to heavy SMS users and become an important part of the mobile email market in the coming years.
  
Technological developments, evolving needs, and greater handset support are some factors driving the uptake of mobile email in the enterprise as well as in the consumer segment. However, issues such as cost of service and ease of use are posing as significant challenges to the worldwide mobile email market.
  
Our partners at Analysts Perspectives present an overview of the ongoing and future trends in the global mobile email market, based on observations, opinions, and predictions from analysts worldwide.
  
Some key findings include the market for consumer email is expected to account for approximately 30 percent of the global mobile email market by 2011; ‘push’ technology is currently more popular than ‘pull’ technology in mobile email solutions; and the global mobile email market will likely show rapid growth between 2008 and 2012. By 2011, the total number of mobile email users worldwide is expected to reach 212 million.