Going down memory lane about a year to three ago, one remembers a handful of websites owned and run by Nigerians that were dedicated to the cause of mobile phones and services.

One of the very earliest was the MobileNigeria discussion forum at www.mobilenigeria.com, which was later shut down by its administrator so as to pursue the Nairaland dream.

Then there was GoSmartMobile.com, a personal project of Yomi Adegboye, one of the foremost voices in the field of mobility in Nigeria today. The site was a hit, even attracting the attention of a few top officials in the telecoms sector. Unfortunately, the domain name was lost in a painful domain renewal crisis.

Phonerism (www.phonerism.com) showed up, also a personal project of a mobile enthusiast. Today, that site too is down and off the playing field.

GSM Today (www.gsm-today.com) was a very successful website in its days. It was owned and run by well-known GSM enthusiast, John Sagai Adams who is based in Abuja. While Yomi Adegboye’s GoSmartMobile.com focused more on mobile data, GSM Today was grassroots-oriented, providing everything from tips on how to activate voicemail to how to make money from GSM technology and services.

Sadly, GSM Today is no more functional. Like the others, it has been consigned to history.

What is happening to websites dedicated to mobile technology? Why do they show up, flourish, then just drop off the cliff? Are there any other mobile-oriented websites run by Nigerians out there, and what are the chances that those too won’t end up as history?