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Mobile voting could become reality by 2012: VeriSign
By Mickey Alam Khan

LAS VEGAS – Voting by mobile devices could become a reality nationwide by 2012, according to one of the leading mobile messaging companies. Mobile voting was No. 1 in a list of five mobile messaging predictions newly released by VeriSign Inc.’s messaging and mobile media division. The success of the Obama presidential campaign last year using a combination of television, grassroots and the Internet with last-mile support from mobile is proof of the channel’s potential.

“There has been a new movement toward the acceptability of mobile,” said Michael Campbell, senior vice president of sales and marketing for VeriSign Messaging and Mobile Media. The company sees trials of mobile voting gaining ground on the local level. By 2012, the end of President Obama’s current term, VeriSign expects the mainstream use of SMS to exchange information and opinions, promote accountability and transparency. At least 10 percent of the U.S. population will use mobile to interact with government by2012, according to VeriSign.
Mobile usage will include applications to include status information pushed by government or pulled by end-users for activities such as tax filings and refunds, library books, driver’s license, passports and driving tickets.

VeriSign had similar optimistic predictions for mobile’s increase use in banking and payments, location-based services, social networking and nonprofit fundraising. Mobile bankingMore than 1.5 billion standard and premium application-to-person messages will be delivered monthly nationwide this year, almost double the volume from 2008. Financial institutions will account for a chunk of this SMS activity.

VeriSign estimates that 75 percent of the top 20 U.S. banks will this year have launched SMS mobile banking. More than 25 percent of the tier one financial institutions will next year offer SMS-based notifications for payments and remittances.

Location-based services
The adoption of location-based services is currently estimated at 7 percent, per industry data. Major U.S. wireless carriers in the past 12 months have launched on-deck, user-initiated pull location-based services such as navigation or search. With the cooperation of all the major players in the mobile market over issues such as spam protection, service monetization and consumer privacy, VeriSign expects to see an increase in new location applications and services within 24 months.

For example, carriers will debut new on- and off-deck services that push pertinent information to subscribers based on their location and preferences. This will increase the demand for messaging using WAP, SMS and MMS for push applications such as mobile ads, coupons and promotions based on a consumer’s location and inclination to buy at that moment.

Social networking
This will be the breakout year for carriers and social networks to work together, VeriSign claims. Integration of user-friendly applications into smartphones and a teardown of the walls between different social networking Web sites will offer ubiquitous access to such services on mobile. Mobile will also enhance the natural strengths of social networking by offering real-time relevance to messages shared between users and their social networks.

Nonprofit fundraising
In the final prediction, VeriSign and the Mobile Giving Foundation expect that more than $5 million will be raised this year via mobile charitable giving.

Microdonations – the American Red Cross asked for $5 donations during recent hurricane relief operations, with charges listed on the subscribers’ bills – will resonate more with the mobile-savvy Generation Y audience.

Nonprofits will also encourage donors to opt into mobile programs to receive alerts, updates and news of events through SMS messages. Personalized messages will also improve the relationship between nonprofit and donor, especially in these hard economic times when charities normally struggle for funds and attention.

Brands offer biggest opportunity
That said, and while not one of its five listed predictions, VeriSign still believes that brands will account for mobile’s optimal use. “I definitely believe that the biggest opportunity lies with the brands,” Mr. Campbell said. "The brands are now feeling that if they don’t do something [about mobile], they’re behind the times,” he said. “That’s where it’s actually moved. That’s where the companies are moving – they don’t want to just show that they’re technically savvy, but they’re customer-friendly. “The interesting thing about this is that mobile has become for a brand not just about how to reach their customers, but how to reach the right customers at the right time in the right place.”