Mobile social network users in India should hit 72 million by 2014, as the cost of smartphones shrinks and 3G services are rolled out, according to Analysys Mason.
A significant reduction in data charges and the introduction of innovative tariff plans is driving adoption up even further, ” Analysys Mason principal consultant Sourabh Kaushal said.
“Operators are launching services such as pay-per-site tariffs and are expected to promote social networking applications to drive adoption of data services among their subscribers,” he said.
But operators and handset makers will need to expand their addressable base of consumers and focus on service innovation to ensure the penetration of social networking in India increases, he said.
The number of online social network users had already grown to around 33 million as of July, making India the seventh largest market globally.
Around 10 million of these - roughly 2.2% of the mobile population - are mobile social network users.