COMPLIMENTARY ADVISORY REPORT

Handset-based Application Stores: A Closer Look at the Leading Players

| May 15, 2009 | Wireless Services - U.S. | Advisory Report

| Analyst: Deepa Karthikeyan, Senior Analyst, Wireless Services - U.S.

Up until mid-2008, the only way most mobile users could gain access to and download applications and content on their phones was via a direct link on the carrier’s portal (also popularly known as the “walled garden” approach), which gave consumers very little (if any) choice in services. Carriers tightly controlled the content on their decks as well as prices, leading to a very undemocratic system where developers were forced to establish a direct relationship with carriers in order to get distribution for their apps, and revenue share agreements were negotiated on a case by case basis.

Fast forward to 2009 where handset-based application stores have taken the market by storm offering users a myriad of services and applications at very low prices (if not free). These stores sprung up to service ‘iconic’ or hero devices – typically smartphones – to tap high-value data users. The revolution spearheaded by iPhone’s App Store has been lapped up by every handset and OS manufacturer worth its salt. Key players include Google’s Android Market, BlackBerry Application Store Front (RIM), Ovi Application Store (Nokia), Windows Mobile marketplace and Palm App Catalog. These marketplaces promise to be a nirvana for developers, providing them with an open platform of sorts where they can create and sell their applications and claim a fixed percentage of the overall revenues.

However, this new phenomenon is not free of wrinkles. Although developers now have an opportunity to display their wares easily, and earn considerable revenue in the process, the high degree of fragmentation reflected in the form of variations in acceptance policies, revenue sharing agreements and fee structures among the different app stores creates a confusing scenario for developers. In the long run this can prove to be counterproductive to this trend as a high level of developer involvement translates to a wider variety of application availability, which in turn will ensure greater consumer interest.

This report provides a comparative analysis of the top handset-based application stores – the options available, policies and revenue sharing procedures, and a general overview of their prospects.

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