If you believe in the power and value that the internet can bring to your business then try typing your web address into your mobile phone. Frustrating, isn't it?

Liron Segev of Swift Telecoms says the web has revolutionised how we interact with and publish information - but surfing the internet using one's mobile phone, while being quite convenient, can be a very frustrating and time-consuming exercise if trying to access a non-mobile compliant website.
The result is often that people then prefer to wait until they are sitting at a PC than have to try to scroll down and across on their tiny cell phone screen. Added to this is the problem that the majority of South Africans do not have access to a PC yet they more than likely own a cell phone which is a much cheaper means of accessing the internet.
"The problem that exists is that web sites have been created to work with powerful PC's, with a 17-inch screen, a mouse and a keyboard which means that traditional web sites do not function or display correctly on mobile phones," says Segev.
"Hence the creation of .dotMobi websites whereby a dedicated Mobi site is created to deliver your information to a mobile phone anytime, anywhere there is cell phone coverage, without the current frustrations of non-mobile compliant websites."
The .dotMobi phenomenon has already been widely accepted in the international arena however the need is only now being recognised for South African internet users with larger companies slowly starting to establish a mobile presence.
"Currently a third of the world's population access the internet through a mobile device. By 2010, it is predicted that this figure will increase to half of the world's population. This number is twice the size of internet-connected personal computers. Historically, technology has been slow in filtering down to South Africa however, with Mobile, we are leading the way. Corporates have embraced mobile technology such as SMS and now Mobi sites are the next revolution which is going to change the way we do business and how we live our lives."
According to Segev, mobile development isn't simply website development made smaller. "A different set of skills is required to take into consideration phone browsers as well as the different makes and models of mobile phones, making .dotMobi sites a more involved programming process. Also, a company's requirements need to be taken into consideration when developing a .dotMobi site.
"We need to be smart when working with mobile applications so we tend to encourage corporates to only feature the necessary content, thereby preventing the user from having to sift through unnecessary information and creating a positive interaction with the site for the user, resulting in immediate gratification."