Mobile ad traffic will double this year, according to figures from mobile ad network Buzzcity. The company says it has already served 96.4bn banners, equating to three-quarters of 2011s total traffic volumes, in the first half of the year, with total mobile advertising growing by 13 per cent in the second quarter of 2012. The strongest growth was seen in Costa Rica, where mobile ad traffic grew by 104 per cent; Malaysia (56 per cent), Brazil (33 per cent), and Turkey (18 per cent).

Smartphone penetration has reached an average of 47 per cent across BuzzCity’s network, with at least 25 per cent of mobile users going online via smartphones in 20 countries. Smartphone penetration is highest in Saudi Arabia (94 per cent);  the UK (90 per cent); Spain (88 per cent); China (87 per cent); and Singapore (80 per cent).

Dr KF Lai, chief executive of BuzzCity says: “We are seeing no signs of mobile advertising slowing down across the globe. Smartphone usage is becoming mainstream, but key to driving further growth will be the creation of original local content.

“Marketers who engage their users with compelling content beyond conventional mobile advertising norms will be the ones to stand out from the rest of the pack and win out in this growing market opportunity.”