Q&A: Mobile E-Mail

Has mobile e-mail been widely adopted by North American enterprises?

What is driving the adoption of mobile e-mail?

Is the mobile e-mail market growing, and if so, by how much?

Who are the main providers of mobile e-mail software and devices?

Has mobile e-mail been widely adopted by North American enterprises?

Yes. A 2007 Forrester Research survey found 71% of enterprises in North America have adopted mobile e-mail (Forrester, 2007).

Research firm Strategy Analytics predicted in 2007 that 15% of business e-mail boxes will be mobile by 2009. More than half of the forward-looking InformationWeek 500 companies said they have wireless e-mail widely deployed.

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What is driving the adoption of mobile e-mail?

Mobile e-mail has long been the most prevalent use of mobile Internet services. A Portio Research study from May 2007 states: "The success of mobile e-mail is largely driven by the growth of more advanced handheld devices, such as PDAs and smartphones, so obviously growth of these services will be broadly restricted to the wealthier, more advanced markets for the immediate future."

However, recent technological developments that allow for greater choice of devices at a lower price point are a main driver of mobile e-mail services, influencing 25% of customers in a February 2007 survey commissioned by the Visto Corporation. Other customers in the Visto survey stated that "mobile e-mail had simply become a necessity in their lives."

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Is the mobile e-mail market growing, and if so, by how much?

Yes. A 2006 report from the Radicati Group predicts that the number of mobile e-mail accounts would grow from 12 million at the time to nearly 200 million by 2010. One year later, a 2007 report by Gartner predicts 350 million mobile e-mail boxes by 2010.

A February 2007 survey commissioned by Visto Corporation and carried out by the Global Market Institute predicts that market penetration of mobile e-mail could reach 70 percent of mobile professionals at YE 2007.

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Who are the main providers of mobile e-mail software and devices?

3G Americas member company, "Research in Motion (RIM) is the current market leader, with its BlackBerry Enterprise Server and the BlackBerry Internet Service delivered through mobile operators." Microsoft also allows for mobile e-mail access using its Exchange program for mobile handsets. These solutions fit many large and small enterprise models, but smaller businesses sometimes utilize ISP-hosted e-mail accounts and POP3 mailboxes instead (Freeform Dynamics, September 2007).

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