Star gazing goes mobile

It’s a market that’s as big as Bollywood and when India is not playing, bigger than cricket, too. And mobile telecom companies like Vodafone, Bharti Airtel, Reliance and Idea are cashing in on the Indian obsession with astrology.

“It’s human nature to want to know what the future holds,” says Harit Nagpal, Director (Marketing), Vodafone Essar. Although all the mobile companies declined to reveal figures, BT learns that it is one of the most lucrative value-added services for telecom operators.

The service is also a money spinner for content providers. Says Raj Singh, Head (Business Development & Operations), Active Media, which operates in this space: “There is huge scope in this segment in the voice market alone. But this market hasn’t really been explored properly.”