Mobile is set to play a major role in the future development of education that also spells a potential $70 billion global revenue opportunity for mobile players in the next eight years, according to a new study.
The report from the GSM Association and McKinsey & Company, released Monday follows a number of early trials in mobile education (or “mEducation”) across various geographies and education segments that it says have “successfully improved education outcomes, indicating tremendous potential for mEducation in the future of learning worldwide” as mobile tools enable teachers to “teach in a more innovative and personalized way, leading to greater student engagement, higher attendance and improved achievement.”
For example, the report cites a case study in India, where local teachers introduced a simple mobile-based game to help primary school pupils from rural, low income households develop English-language comprehension, sentence construction and spelling. Result: students’ test scores improved by almost 60%.
The report estimates that the mEducation segment is expected to grow 50% to 55% CAGR between 2012 and 2020 in emerging markets in Asia Pacific, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa, compared to 25% to 30% for developed markets.
That growth could help generate up to $70 billion globally for cellcos by 2020, depending on where they position themselves in the value chain, says Ana Tavares Lattibeaudiere, the GSMA’s head of Connected Living.
For example, she says, providing connectivity alone for mEducation products and services could generate $4 billion in revenues by 2020 under a number of business-case scenarios.
“You will have B2B scenarios, where an educational institution is purchasing the mEducation solution for their students, and B2C scenarios, where the revenue will come from individual customers,” she told Daily News. “Hybrid models are also possible, such as a school or university paying for basic usage costs, and any additional costs – such as using the device for entertainment purposes – may be paid by the student.”