Sex and Mobility

Wireless Week reports on a new study from liberal think tank Third Way that says wireless technology is aiding, abetting and corrupting today's connected minors by allowing online access to adult material.

More and more people under the age of 17 are acquiring cell phones, and the study cites research from UK firm Juniper Research that found "Pornography already constitutes half of the multimedia traffic carried by U.S. wireless carriers outside of their own portals. Revenues from pornography delivered via mobile devices are projected to increase by more than 50 percent in 2005 and perhaps triple by 2009."

The rollout of data-centric, high-speed 3G networks is helping the proliferation of mobile content and services. If you combine it with the adult industry's well known agility in taking advantage of new distribution mediums and business models, and throw into the mix curious teens with cell phones and raging hormones, you have the makings of a potentially booming and controversial market.

The big question is whether the network operators and industry can and will police themselves or will it require some type of government intervention to try and nip this market in the bud...

via Wireless Week