According to Berg Insight the next big thing in mobile advertising will be mobile maps. It predicts that during the course of 2007 4 million mobile subscribers will access maps using their mobile handset. This will grow year on year by 60.8% in order to reach 43 million users by 2012.

They also predict that an ad-funded business model will prevail. André Malm, telecom analyst, Berg Insight says, “Maps are already available free of charge from a host of sources on the Internet. Soon navigation will reach that stage too pulling away the very foundation for premium rate mobile propositions”. Revenue is expected to increase from €96 million in 2007, to reach €512 million by 2012

Berg Insight believes that the cause of this increase will be the introduction of GPS-technology in smartphone handsets. “Record shipments of PND (note:Personal Navigation Devices) devices in Europe and the US have introduced the benefits of GPS for motorists. Now the major players in the mobile industry are in hot pursuit of delivering the same experience for pedestrians, commuters and travellers on the handset display.” said Mr Malm.

Full press release HERE.