New Delhi (PTI): Global IT major IBM on Monday said its India Research Lab will have a major role in the research and development of its new Mobile Web Initiatives.

"The IBM India Research Lab will act as a focal point for the Mobile Web initiative, which is aimed to bring more features to mobile devices as they continue to rival the PC as the primary tool for web-based business, education, communication and entertainment," IBM Research Senior Vice President John E Kelly III said.

IRL is the youngest lab among IBM's eight global labs in six countries across the globe.

To capitalise on the burgeoning mobile market in the country, IBM has launched the Mobile Web initiative which will help add more features to mobile devices.

"The world is entering the 'Era of the Mobile Web.' In many countries, the mobile phone has become an electronic wallet, the window to the World Wide Web, an education device and more, and globally, mobile devices outnumber PCs, credit cards, and TVs," IBM IRL Director Daniel Dias said.

IBM predicts the number of mobile web users would grow by 191 per cent from 2006 to 2011 to reach one billion.

The company is also making major investments in mobile software and hardware platforms and has opened several worldwide telecom solutions labs focused on research and development, he said. However, he declined to divulge the investment figures.