Mobile Entertainment reports that a new study by TNS Global Technology suggests that mobile radio consumption is up by 140%. And no, you cynics, TNS is not trying to sell radio equipment for mobile phones or anything so obviously manipulative - they’re a respectable analyst.

The study also suggests that in some emerging markets a mobile without radio is hard to sell and that in LATAM and Asia, 45% of people cited radio as one of the top features they look for.

In parallel, use of mobiles as MP3 players has increased by a significant 78% and remember, this is at a time when it’s not easy to get music onto a mobile, unless it’s an iPhone, of course. I’m not suggesting it’s that hard either, but it’s not the seamless experience of iTunes.

A long time ago, back in 2004, I wrote a piece for The Feature, a now defunct and sadly missed website run by Nokia and edited by our very own Carlo. If you ever have some spare time, go and explore some of the archives for some seminal writing by some of the thought leaders in the mobile space. It’s got some great writing, much of which has truly stood the test of time.

Anyway, here’s the piece I wrote back then about why mobile would presage the Golden Age of radio and why classic broadcast TV would be left high and dry, despite the millions invested in it. It’s still worth a read and it still looks as if I was on the right track.