By Sonali Shah

Faster networks, smarter devices and the falling cost of phones and service plans have fueled growth in mobile content and commerce. Now there is a new force changing mobile.

The consumers downloading ringtones, images and other content related to Father’s Day via mobile skewed heavily towards women, according to new figures from Myxer.

Nearly all the applications in the Apple AppStore, Android Marketplace and BlackBerry App World are native applications, with 44 billion app downloads projected by 2016.

Canadian carriers Rogers Wireless and Telus have integrated Bango Inc.’s mobile payment platform into BlackBerry App World to enable carrier billing for applications.

Cramming – putting unauthorized charges on consumers’ wireless bills – is increasingly becoming an issue that mobile subscribers face, forcing an investigation by Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) into this illegal practice.

ForSaleByOwner.com is arming house hunters with a mobile application that provides all of the relevant listing information on the properties nearest to them.

On the heels of the Sprint mobile wallet launch, the carrier is increasing the options for its subscribers to pay for online digital goods via their wireless bill.

While sales of mobile content such as applications are booming and mobile purchases of physical goods are increasing, 2011 will not go down as the year of mobile commerce, according to Appitalism.

British carrier Three UK has extended a new Facebook and Twitter-friendly music store from Android-based handsets to more of its mobile phone customers.

Jesta Digital, formerly known as Fox Mobile Group, has launched its on-demand mobile television and movie subscription service Bitbop for Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 smartphone users.