A stage model in mobile Internet service evolution: Lessons from a decade of Japanese mobile Internet

The ratio of flat-rate users among the Japanese mobile Internet users reached 50 % in 2009. This will eliminate one of the major obstacles to the mobile service development. The author presents three chasms and describes how the business models and ecosystem will evolve at each chasm. The author proposes a spiral model of the ecosystem transition. The author also discusses the importance of stage-awareness in the development of mobile services.