While the previous decade may have seen business process outsourcing (BPO), knowledge process outsourcing (KPO) and software services leading IT growth in Gujarat, the next decade is set to witness a new vertical - mobile applications.

Thanks to the platforms like Android, Apple and Symbian that have got consumers hooked on to mobile applications, more and more players in Gujarat are joining the bandwagon, say industry players.

Currently, industry players see mobile application development at hardly two per cent of the total IT industry in Gujarat, which is estimated to be growing at over 15 per cent.

"As compared to last year, this year there has been tremendous increase in start-ups venturing into mobile application, unlike any other vertical. There are increasingly new players entering the mobile applications vertical in Gujarat. If the trend is anything to go by, the next decade will definitely see mobile applications leading the way for IT growth in Gujarat," says Kaushal Mehta, president, The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE) - Ahmedabad Chapter.

Seconding his thoughts is Chirag Patel, founder CEO of Ahmedabad-based Net4Nuts Limited. "The IT growth in Gujarat will be driven by mobile applications primarily because of landscape changes in telecom technology. Not only platforms like Android, Apple and Symbian are pushing up the standards and demand for applications, network connectivity has made sure more consumers using such applications," says Patel.

A middleware technology company providing various Mobile Value Added Services to top mobile operators in India and S.E. Asia, Net4Nuts recently developed a mobile application that showcases TV schedule on mobile phones.

Other than consumers, it is also corporates and industry that seems to be thriving on mobile applications, say some players. "Applications that are required to be made available on cloud computing are also depending on the telecom industry to enable such uploads. Add to that, even corporates are increasingly seeking applications wherein they can see their revenue, sales, etc on mobile interface. Even localised marketing is also thriving in Gujarat on mobile applications which has led to a sudden growth in the vertical," says Nikhil Jain, president and COO, Elitecore Technologies.

Moreover, according to Patel, availability of smartphones in Gujarat has also added to growth in mobile applications development in the state. "Smartphones which were three per cent earlier of overall mobile handsets market will now be 25-30 per cent. Moreover, people are discovering various usages of smartphones that has led to increase in demand for mobile applications," adds Patel.

However, apart from mobile applications the other verticals that will lead growth of the industry include infrastructure management and cloud computing, says the National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM).

"Apart from mobile applications, there are other verticals that are going to add to the growth of IT industry in Gujarat. It is being observed that new age technology like infrastructure management, cloud computing and engineering services are grow consistently," adds Rajiv Vaishnav, vice president, NASSCOM.