PRESS

SURVEY: INTERNET COMPANIES LACK MOBILE EXPERTISE

A survey of the top 100 internet companies in the UK revealed that only a quarter had dedicated WAP resources.

The survey, commissioned by mobile internet solution provider zamano, showed that only 3 % of those surveyed had experience of GPRS ( General Packet Radio Service ) while only 16% are involved in SMS ( Short Messenging Service ) development.

Despite that the majority of respondents intend to undertake WAP development work in the future and view it as an integral part of their overall service offering, only 35% presently conduct in-house mobile internet development work.

" The survey highlighted some surprising trends, most notably that those companies eager to get involved in mobile internet are finding they don't have the skills pool needed, " said Darren O' Rodaigh, Business Development Manager at zamano. " It would seem that in their eagerness to capitalise on the lucrative mobile internet market, they've failed to recognise the specific expertise that's required. "

The survey also showed that 42% had members of their technical team skilled in mobile internet applications and only 25% had dedicated WAP resources.