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MWC - "Messaging business is a lifeline for operators right now"

One cheerful face at MWC in Barcelona: Mike Grenville of 160 characters says he's finding the phone industry is returning to texting for revenue.

"They are discovering that it's what users want, and it's profitable," he said. "We've had years of negative comment saying that users actually want other services, but the operators are discovering that in harder times, texting remains resilient."

At the same time, Grenville suggests that mobile internet may still happen, quoting BuzzCity research pointing optimistically at social networking.

In today's news comment, Grenville quotes KF Lai, CEO of BuzzCity, in a report pointing out that mobile users aren't actually mobile - yet:

It may surprise those in the telecommunications industry to know that less than six percent use the mobile internet when travelling or when outdoors, contrary to the common belief that mobile internet is a tool to be accessed ‘on the move’. Most of the users surveyed (70 percent) surf the mobile internet from home, while over one in ten (11 percent) browse while at work. 

Lai said: “The mobile phone has become the medium of choice for ‘unwired’ consumers who do not access the internet via a PC, proving that consumption of the mobile internet is not necessarily connected to mobility.”

But from Grenville's expression here in Barcelona, he doesn't expect the growth of facebook phones to make that much difference to operator revenues.