The last fiscal has been very eventful for Industry in India. The Mobile Value Added Services Sector has seen a lot of dramatic activity. Truth be told, perhaps more than anybody wanted to.

The Regulator has gone hammer and tongs after the SMS Industry in an effort to control the menace of unsolicited messages. The Authority has also recommended that the sector be licensed; "Soft license" if ever there was any such thing. Notwithstanding the hiccups, this robust Mobile Value Added Services market (MVAS) is projected to grow to INR 671 billion by 2015. It is estimated that over 30 per cent of the total mobile revenues would come from MVAS driven by mobile data services. According to IAMAI report "Evolution of Mobile VAS in India" this sector would contribute 54 per cent of telecom revenue by 2015.

In order to realise the full potential of the MVAS market, there is a need for innovation, open approach and applications that would trigger data revolution in the country. Emphasis has to be on new services and technologies, social media content and video platforms. Clearly there is a need to work towards enhancing growth of m-commerce and mobile money, as these will remain a significant long term opportunity.

Telecom operators realize the need for innovation, and also the value of collaboration with MVAS providers. Operators are opening their network assets for businesses in order to achieve the full value of the mobile medium for enhanced productivity, customer engagement and retention. Advertising and Marketing with Mobile Social Media has caught on and is a successful business strategy. Smart Devices are no longer the ask of a chosen few and handset manufacturers are moving from Niche Products to Mass Market Products. We are looking at the Evolution of New Technology.

Given the enormity of size and scale of the business and its massive contribution towards the GDP, this is no longer small mom & pop store run business, though the small businesses continue to contribute hugely towards this.

Todays Conference on Mobile Innovation aims to lay bare some of the pressing issues and will seek to discuss threadbare the present state of the industry, and the roadmap going forward.

The conference will have sessions like Mobile Innovation 2020: Product, Technology or Service; delegates and participants will get the opportunity to look at the future trends that will potentially shape the mobile industry in India.

We look forward to an active participation from the representatives of the Government and Industry; hear their expert views and opinions.