Location-Based Mobile Social Networking Poised for Growth: Report

Revenue from location-based mobile social networking services will reach $3.3 billion by 2013, according to new research from ABI.Location-based mobile social networking will "provide opportunities for location-based advertising in the future," likely beginning with "licensing and subscription revenue-sharing," said the Oyster Bay, N.Y.-based consultancy. Factors that need to be overcome include privacy concerns, the cost of data transmission and smaller brands' achieving significant visibility in a particularly fragmented market.

Indeed, the technology is catching on among mobile providers. For example, earlier this week Samsung signed a multiyear deal with GyPSii, creator of a location-based social networking service that will be embedded in Samsung's mobile phones. And Nokia's late June acquisition of Plazes, a location-based social networking startup, came just a few weeks after Vodafone's similar acquisition of ZYB.Social Media Portal