U.K. Mobile Group to Sell Behavioral Data

Mobile network operators in the U.K. are preparing to sell behavioral user data to help advertisers target mobile ad campaigns more effectively.

Mobile industry body the GSMA (Global System for Mobile Association) has proposed a measurement process that provides anonymous audience metrics and aggregated user behavior data, which it hopes will stimulate the uptake of mobile advertising and create an ad market akin to that of the fixed Internet.

The GSMA has formed a task force comprising major European operators, including Telefonica, Vodafone, Orange, T-Mobile International and 3. It now hopes to launch a fully audited mobile measurement service in the second half of 2009, alongside three further working groups, one each for advertisers, media and advertising agencies, and publishers.

“Access to transparent measurement is essential in establishing mobile as a legitimate advertising medium,” said Rob Conway, CEO and board member of the GSMA in a press release. “This programme will help take the guesswork out of mobile for brands, publishers and agencies. It will enable better planning of marketing campaigns, and in turn, will accelerate sales of mobile advertising inventory,” he added.

The measurement technology, which has already been trialed using U.K. mobile subscribers, can provide data on the top sites visited, the number of visits, and the duration of visits. According to the GSMA, however, the real value of this data is extracted by combining it with independently collected demographic information, provided separately by users on an opt-in basis.

Unsurprisingly, the majority of U.K. mobile networks have issued statements of support for the initiative, which would provide a welcome new revenue stream in an increasingly competitive market.

ISPs in the fixed-line Internet arena have been criticized recently by privacy advocates, and some consumers, for making use of similar tracking technology from companies such as Phorm and NebuAd. Although the GSMA states that its data is collected entirely anonymously, privacy advocates are likely to object to having their activity monitored at all, and also may object to pairing that data with other user data.

“I’m glad to hear that the mobile operators are talking explicitly about user opt-in, and not directly linking customer account information to browsing behaviour,” Ian Brown, senior research fellow at the Oxford Internet Institute told ClickZ News. “I imagine this will make mobile Web users think a bit about who is watching them surf though.”

An initial feasibility study, the results of which were released yesterday, shows that operator sites continue to command the largest audiences, with 68 percent of U.K. mobile users visiting operator portals. Google is the top off-portal destination, and Facebook is the top mobile site by time spent browsing. The study was conducted by the GSMA in conjunction with measurement partner comScore, and media audit partner ABC Electronic.