The generalization of Mobile Internet it is increasingly having an impact on economic growth and employment. According to the study The Mobile Internet Economy in Europe, made by The Boston Consulting Group recently launched, what is now known as the mobile ecosystem, which includes everything from devices and applications to commerce and access services, generates 92.000 million euros to the five largest economies of the EU (Germany, France, United Kingdom, Italy and Spain) and generate half a million jobs,
European adults in these EU countries each spend an average of 555 euros per year on everything that has to do with phones, tablets, data plans, applications, digital content, and the mobile commerce (mCommerce). This figure will double in 2017 to reach 230.000 million euros, which represents an annual growth rate of mobile Internet revenues of 25%.
In Spain, mobile Internet represents a contribution to the Gross Domestic Product of 12.000 million euros (according to 2013 data), a figure that will increase to 26.000 million in 2017, thanks to annual growth rates of 21%. On a global scale, the ecosystem contributes with 512.000 million, according to the study that has evaluated 13 countries that represent 70% of world GDP. The main contribution to this growth comes from the applications, content and services derived from this ecosystem, and in the future it will also be driven by the rapid expansion of purchases and advertising through mobile devices, according to the report.
Mobile Internet is also an important driver of employment growth. The report estimates that the total impact of the EU5 is approximately half a million jobs, of which half are physically located in those European countries, and three million in the 13 countries analyzed. These jobs are primarily in device sales, distribution, and production, as well as applications, content and services, service providers, and network infrastructure.
According to the report, the ferocity of the competition has caused a significant drop in prices to the point that the monthly cost of a 5 gigabyte mobile broadband subscription is 18 euros in the United Kingdom, 19 euros in France, 23 in Germany, 9 in Italy, and 39 euros in Spain compared to the equivalent of 42 euros in the US.
In addition, the study predicts that in the near future a considerable number of jobs will come from the growing demand for applications and content, which automate and improve existing activities, in fields such as finance, health, and education, will help drive this. increase. In fact, app downloads in Europe have reached 20.000 billion and, although many apps are provided free, app revenue in the 13 countries in the sample (Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States) reached $ 26.000 billion in 2013 and will almost triple to $ 76.000 billion in 2017.
The study also indicates that developers face a challenging business environment, and they need a critical mass, and to bridge the barrier of copycats to make money. That's why more than half of all developers earn less than $ 500 a month for each app. And income is highly concentrated: 1,6% of the most successful earn more than the other 98,4%.
The report also dedicates a section to eCommerce. Electronic commerce through mobile devices has reached 23.000 million dollars in the five largest countries of the EU (76% more than in 2012) and represents 13% of all electronic commerce carried out through the net. It is not just about product purchases but about content consumption, information, product comparison, and so on.
Consumers also benefit from this context, perceived as the value they receive for the purchase of devices, applications, services and access. In the five largest EU countries, this value is estimated to reach 770.000 million euros a year.
The report details that, in addition to this growth, the amount of advertising allocated to mobile technology also increases. Global mobile advertising revenue reached $ 18.000 billion (€ 16.000 billion) in 2014, and that item will exceed $ 41.000 billion in 2017.
You can see the full study here.