The role of mobile portals "clearly represents a key development area" in the shift towards 3G services, bearing many of the applications and services that can help the take-up of 3G in the consumer market, according to IDC.

A newly published report from the analyst firm predicts that the western European mobile portal market will increase to around 74 million users by 2010, representing a compound annual growth rate of 10 per cent.

"Since 2004, other interesting developments have taken place in the mobile industry regarding mobile portal usage and content," said Rosie Secchi, senior analyst at IDC's European Wireless Communications service.

"Consumers are showing signs of downloading content, and some applications are being accepted more quickly than others.

"To sustain growth in terms of both users and usage, mobile operators must introduce more dynamic and interactive mobile portal content and evolve the offering to ensure that it continues to be compelling and personalised."

According to IDC's study, the globalisation of branding and services will lead to a rise in pan-European players operating across multiple regions and countries.

"This new trend is seeing the biggest network operators in Europe battling for markets, further emphasising how important it is for a mobile operator to own its customers, thus providing value through branding, sponsorship, content and effective marketing," added Secchi.