ROA, the Research On Asia Group, has introduced a free 15-page white paper titled “Mobile and Digital Signage Market in Japan” that provides a market forecast until 2015. ROA estimates that the current market size of digital signage is almost $738.4 million (JPY 70 billion) and will grow to $7.38 billion (JPY 700 billion) by 2015.

According to the study, the recognition level of digital signage is lower in Japan compared to other countries, but the market is expected to grow steadily. This is based on the fact that the Japanese market has a favorable infrastructure for digital signage in terms of displays and servers.

In the report, Yeunsil Lee, analyst at Tokyo-based ROA Group Japan, says that to overcome the weaknesses of outdoor advertisements, it is necessary that digital signage evolve toward mobile digital signage, enabling higher interaction with the user, which in turn results in better user response.

For example, the study notes that in the U.S., MegaPhone is providing a mobile digital signage service that connects large-sized public displays with mobile handsets creating interaction between the user and service provider. This kind of service model is not yet available in the Japanese market but is expected to contribute to the development of mobile digital signage service in the near future.

The white paper also provides information on the latest digital signage solutions through main players in the Japanese market, including Sony, Hitachi, Fujitsu, NTT Communications and 3M.