The latest Mobinet study of consulting group A.T. Kearney is out, and, while the global study takes a generally positive view for the growth of mobile cellular data services, it paints a bleak picture as well for telecoms that are hoping to offer streaming videos over our cell phones.

The upside: According to the Mobinet 2005 study, people with multimedia handsets are willing to pay more for multimedia services. In fact, there was a 57 percent growth in global music downloads via mobile services, a figure that is topped by Japan, China and South Korea.

The downside: People aren’t as interested in getting TV services over their phones. This could be a downer for telecom operators such as Bayantel (see related entry here), particularly if they hope to lure a market by offering “Mobile TV” services.

But there’s still hope. Those below 18 years of age do not mind paying in order to access music videos via their phones, while the rest of the market are willing to pay for real-time or time sensitive content, particularly news feeds (which appeal most to those in their mid-30s to late-50s).

Moral of the story: Telecom operators that are trying to feed off the youth market will have to establish tie-ups with music video providers (MTV perhaps?). On the other hand, the best way to hit the professionals market is by focusing on real-time news feeds. As I’ve mentioned in an earlier entry, this is where Bayantel’s ANC News can become a very strong asset, being the most competent 24-hour news video service in the Philippines today.

You can read the results of the Mobinet 2005 study here.