Smartphones are rapidly gaining popularity, says a year-long study and the users have everything to gain from this expanding market.

Some may have considered it to be a fad but there’s no denying the positive impact the arrival of the smartphone has had on Australia’s PAs. Whether in the office or at home emails can be checked, if the boss calls and is in a jam no matter where you are you can access web sites on the move – and now a report from the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has confirmed their place in many Aussie’s hearts. The report predicts that smartphones will drive significant future growth in mobile traffic, as well as create numerous opportunities for the digital economy. Analyst Cisco believes that from 2010 through to 2013 mobile data traffic will double each year as the love affair continues – currently over a quarter of all Australians with 3G mobiles use them to access the internet. This popularity is also likely to see an increase in location-based services (LBSs); that is the use of the smartphone’s GPS facility to locate services nearby to the user – a potential goldmine of information for busy PAs.