Nearly 1.3 billion mobile users - 30% of the subscriber base - are expected to utilise local mobile search services by 2013, according to a new report from industry analysts, Juniper Research.

The report argues that the best equipped regions for the delivery of mobile local search are currently Western Europe and North America, as all countries within these regions have good local digital information suppliers (yellow and white pages, city guides, restaurant and entertainment guides, traffic information, etc.) and also good mapping data (both on and off road) with good coverage of points of interest (POI).

Advertising supported local search will be the key to driving this sector according to Juniper Research, but the firm cautions that the effectiveness of advertising in this sector will vary widely according to local conditions. The availability and quality of locally based directories and content will be a key factor, as well as the presence of the necessary location based infrastructure. In the end it will be the quality of the user experience that will be of paramount importance, the report states.

The report also forecasts total mobile search revenues to reach $4.8 billion by 2013 but cautions that an “advertising overload” might act as a disincentive to consumers and might ultimately limit adoption, while there are continuing public concerns over search engine usage of personal data.

Juniper Research assesses the current and future status of mobile search market based on interviews, case studies and analysis from representatives of some of the leading organisations in the growing mobile search industry.