mHealth Applications to Increase Threefold by 2012, Pyramid Finds

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Dec. 16, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 200 million mHealth applications are in use today, and that number is expected to increase threefold by 2012, creating a new frontier of innovation that is opening up many opportunities for mobile network operators, according to a new report from Pyramid Research (www.pyr.com).

Health Check: Key Players in Mobile Healthcare is an up-to-the-moment overview of the emerging mHealth market, focusing on various conventional, hybrid, and new technologies that are creating new business models. This 44-page report analyzes trends and strategies related to mHealth, which include how emerging and conventional technologies are being used to improve access to and results from healthcare in both developed and underdeveloped countries. It analyzes technological and behavioral trends for using mHealth technology on a wide variety of devices, describes the latest devices and software for delivering and distributing mHealth content and services, and provides case studies that detail current mHealth applications.

The challenge for the healthcare industry is organizational rather than technological. Economically, governments recognize that there is an urgent need to adapt new models that reduce the cost to serve patients, accelerate time to market, and improve patient service and compliance.

"Healthcare solutions that are delivered via mobile technology are creating a new frontier of innovation that is driving down costs, increasing access, and improving quality of care," indicates Denise Culver, Analyst at large at Pyramid. "And even as mHealth connects, informs, and protects patients and caregivers in powerful ways, it also opens up many opportunities for mobile network operators like AT&T, BT, Orange, and Telefonica; original equipment manufacturers including Apple, RIM, and Ericsson; hardware and software vendors, such as Cisco, Oracle, Microsoft, and Google; and a new breed of device and application providers that specialize solely on mHealth, including CardioNet, Epocrates, and NowPos," she adds.

"Technology and telecommunications providers are well positioned for developing, extending, and marketing mHealth applications," says Culver. "Many of these players already have established relationships with healthcare providers and payers, and many benefit from large, global scale," she notes. Additionally, they possess technology capabilities and consumer-brand assets that healthcare players lack. Also important is that many already understand the distribution and go-to-market requirements of consumer-oriented devices.

"MNOs can leverage mHealth applications as part of an enterprise vertical-differentiation strategy. They have the chance to create mHealth solutions that combine voice, messaging, data, security, and other current offerings, which will increase customer loyalty and create value-added services," Culver adds.

Health Check: Key Players in Mobile Healthcare is part of Pyramid's research report series.  Download the excerpt here, or purchase the report here.

CONTACT: Jennifer Baker, 617-817-1910, [email protected]

SOURCE Pyramid Research