Trend: M-content delivery platforms maturing

The off-portal sales environment for mobile content is "something of a Wild West frontier," according to principal ABI analyst Ken Hyers. Hyers sees the established off-portal trend in Europe becoming more important in N. America, and with the rise of that trend the importance of mobile-content delivery platforms increases in turn--since delivery becomes critical not just to operators anymore but a concern for content developers themselves. The report's summary cites Motricity, Tira Wireless, Amdocs' Qpass and Volantis as the next wave of integrated-delivery platform makers whose systems are necessary to enable a positive experience for consumers and a profitable one for carriers and content owners. I'm excited to see the industry get off its high horse and onto the off-portal train, but the speed with which the transition takes place is dependent on the courage of content owners and the robustness of delivery platforms.

For more on the maturation of content delivery platforms:
- see this press release from ABI