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Many small and medium-sized business owners incorrectly assume they can't compete with national or larger suppliers for purchasing relationships with big organizations such as the companies of RBC Financial Group. Since 1995, the companies of RBC Financial Group have been demonstrating that innovative suppliers of any size can compete with thorough research on our needs, creativity and the use of accessible technology. Now, there's an exciting new opportunity for potential and existing RBC Financial Group vendors. We are introducing an enterprise-wide eProcurement initiative using a secure Internet marketplace to efficiently manage the purchase of goods and services to all the companies of RBC Financial Group. Some would say electronic procurement or "eProcurement" is plain old purchasing with a high-tech twist. It offers a lot more advantages and opportunities, though, for both buyers and suppliers. Basically, eProcurement involves automated purchasing systems using software applications that are "Web" or Internet-based. For example, a common Web browser user can log into an eProcurement system to view vendor offerings and catalogues, and place orders. That said, eProcurement is a step above the open marketplaces or shopping malls commonly found on the Internet. An eProcurement network typically uses sophisticated technology that provides a secure marketplace, sales platform and transaction tracking system available only to selected buyers and suppliers. The
e-Procurement system chosen for RBC Financial Group is supplied by Ariba,
one of the world's leading vendors of secure electronic marketplace
technology. This system's features illustrate many of the important
advantages and opportunities available to vendors approved for RBC's
eProcurement Initiative:
On this web site, you'll learn more how it will change vendor dealings with RBC Financial Group and what every vendor needs to know to prepare for an electronic purchasing environment. (Downloaded
from www.rbc.com ) 2.
A Survey on E-procurement : B2B
e-Procurement Spending
(In
billions, estimated or projected; totals may not add due to
rounding.) E-exchange
(or e-marketplace) trade is e-procurement conducted through an
online market.
Benchmark Research Visit http://www.benchmark-research.co.uk/
for more information. (Downloaded from www.rbc.com ) E-procurement
at RBC Financial Group : Today, the companies of RBC Financial Group are rapidly implementing an electronic or eProcurement system that will greatly increase supply chain efficiencies, reduce costs, centralize supplier information, speed payment of invoices and open up many new opportunities for both suppliers and RBC Financial Group alike.As we move forward, eProcurement capability will be very important for doing business with RBC Financial Group. If you offer high-quality goods and services with top-notch customer service and have or will soon have eProcurement capability, you could be one of the many small, medium and large businesses supplying RBC Financial Group.The companies of RBC Financial Group want to efficiently and cost-effectively buy goods and services, from office equipment to flowers. We're also introducing existing and prospective vendors to our eProcurement system, which uses inexpensive Internet-based technology to purchase goods and services, track vendors and their offerings, and electronically make payments.This will be an exciting time for our vendors, with many new opportunities to do business not only with RBC Financial Group but also the dozens of other major organizations in Canada and abroad moving to similar electronic purchasing systems. Electronic
procurement is the future. We have already begun implementing our
eProcurement system and it's important for potential and existing
suppliers to understand how eProcurement will affect supplier
relationships. eProcurement at RBC: Find out what is it and how it works. Strategic Sourcing at RBC: Important information for potential vendors on how to compete for and win opportunities to become a RBC Financial Group vendor. Becoming A Vendor with RBC: The first step in understanding what goods and services RBC Financial Group needs and introducing us to your business. More
Information? Whether you are a corporation or an entrepreneur, we can show you how you may become a supplier of goods and services to members of RBC Financial Group.
You can reach us Toll-Free at 1-800-548-1689.
RBC Financial Group 4.
Businesses Find ROI in E-Procurement Application Electronic
procurement reduces purchasing costs and time by more than 70
percent, according to a study by Aberdeen
Group, so it should come as no surprise that International
Data Corp. (IDC) expects e-procurement application sales to
reach $9.7 billion by 2004. Aberdeen's
study found companies that move their purchasing online dramatically
reduce costs, shorten purchasing cycles and drive improvements to
their bottom line. It also found that new service-based hosted
offerings extend the benefits of e-procurement to the broadest
audiences. In
both 1998 and 2000, Aberdeen surveyed users of e-procurement systems
and collected information on product selection and implementation,
as well as actual benefits realized by user organizations. In its
report "e-Procurement: Finally Ready for Prime Time,"
Aberdeen compares the results of research conducted in Nov. 1998 and
Nov. 2000, and found consistent savings courtesy of e-procurement. "Although
executives and investors have soured on the promise of other
business-to-business technologies, Aberdeen end-user research
demonstrates that e-procurement delivers rapid and quantifiable
results," said Christa Degnan, research analyst. "Aberdeen
expects these benefits will translate into considerable
e-procurement market growth, representing more than $9 billion in
sales by 2003." Aberdeen's
report documents detailed benefits of e-procurement in the following
areas: reduced purchase requisition processing expense; reduced
purchase requisition processing time; decreased "maverick"
spending; lowered prices of goods paid; and reduced inventory
expense. Based
on these findings, Aberdeen estimates that an average midsize
organization can expect to save almost $2 million per year through
automation in process and product costs. Large
implementation costs and additional maintenance responsibilities
were the original barriers to e-procurement implementation. But this
has been changed with the arrival of hosted procurement solutions,
which allow smaller organizations to benefit from Internet
purchasing automation. According to Aberdeen, service-based
offerings provide significant benefits over premise-based
applications, including reduced deployment cycles; reduced
implementation costs; and reduced ongoing operating costs. Increased
demand for high-performance e-procurement applications, especially
those that can handle a myriad of mission-critical functions such as
strategic sourcing; supplier relationship management; and direct
materials procurement, is providing a boost for the e-procurement
market. According to IDC, e-procurement application sales, which
jumped 167 percent in 2000, will reach $9.7 billion in 2004. By
comparison, they were $47 million in 1997. "E-procurement
applications have become one of the most sought-after Internet
products by enterprises that want to lower their costs, improve
operations through real-time data collection and enhanced workflow,
and strengthen relations with trading partners to boost product
quality and output," said Albert Pang, research manager of
IDC's eCommerce Applications program. "As corporations continue
to roll out their B2B strategies with a quick-to-market mentality --
opting for off-the-shelf e-procurement applications to speed
implementations -- demand for e-procurement applications will get
even stronger." The
competition will be stiff, however. Currently, more than 200 vendors
have been shipping e-procurement applications. This number is
expected to increase in the coming months as new players enter the
market with second-generation software to address requirements from
users to automate complex business processes and integrate legacy
systems. The
most stringent test for e-procurement vendors, according to IDC,
will be brutal market forces resulting from slow e-marketplace
adoption, as well as general skepticism over the long-term viability
of B2B e-commerce sites. The companies that survive and thrive in
the e-procurement market will need to ride the wave of e-procurement
adoption among large and small customers, sustain their growth
through innovative products, maintain deft marketing maneuvers, and
build effective business alliances. "The
real winners will be those that smooth over the adoption of complex
technologies while shielding users from the complexities," Pang
said. March
28, 2001 Related
item
Most
business-to-business buyers will eventually move online even though
purchasing agents plan to conduct only 20 percent of their
transactions via the Internet by 2002, according to research by
Jupiter Media Metrix.
a) B-to-B Buyers Waiting for
Vendors to Go Online
5.
E-Payment technologies in US and Europe 2001 Datamonitor''s new report ''ePayment Technology in Europe and the US'' provides research into the global ePayment market and the supporting technologies and services required. Issues of emerging technologies such as mPayments and the need for strong surrounding security are examined, providing you with an essential insight into current and future market dynamics. The topics in this report will help you identify the key short and long-term opportunities in this expansive market: • ePayment technologies today and in the future. Examine the drivers and inhibitors impacting on the market at both a strategic and technological level • eChannel technology uptake. Quantify the continuing growth in PC-based and mobile payment technologies spend • ePayment technology strategy. Identify which kind of payment infrastructures banks and merchants require, and understand how this affects ePayment technology vendors • ePayment technology spending. Gain a complete picture of trends in B2C and B2B ePayment technology expenditure in 8 major European markets and the US to 2005 • Competitive trends. Benchmark your company''s offerings against other major players in the market. (Downloaded
From http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reportinfo.asp?report_id=583) 6.
E-Banking Technology in Europe 2001 Contains
the most up-to-date, detailed research and analysis so far
undertaken into the eBanking sector.The Internet is still the
strongest growth story in European retail banking, with 35 million
customers banking online by year-end 2001 and 75 million by 2005.
eBanking must remain a critical area of investment for European
retail banks in 2001.Datamonitor''s new report ''eBanking Technology
in Europe 2001'', builds on our wealth of research in the European
banking and technology markets. With forecasts of eBanking
technology expenditure and profiles of nine leading players in the
market, this report is your essential guide to exploiting the
eBanking opportunity. ''eBanking Technology in Europe 2001''
contains the most up-to-date, detailed research and analysis so far
undertaken into the eBanking sector. Use this report to: Gain a full
insight into the most recent developments in the eBanking technology
market; Consider current and future market dynamics; Identify the
key short-term opportunities in this fast-growing sector (Downloaded
From Hot on the heels of Open Finance and Account Aggregation, until recently eAdvice has been positioned as the crowning glory of eFinance applications. Indeed, as self-directed investors seek to navigate rough waters during the current downturn in the financial markets, the business case for eAdvice only seems to have been reinforced. However, nascent technology, a squeeze on new Internet investment, unproven ROI and a vendor market populated almost entirely by start-ups all mean that the momentum that has built up behind online advice is in danger of ebbing away. This brief analyses the business case for eAdvice, the development of eAdvice technology and the future outlook for eAdvice investment. The main focus of this brief is on the European market, although many of the points contained within the analysis are equally relevant to the US market. (Downloaded From http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reportinfo.asp?report_id=710) This brief provides an update of market developments in the core systems space since 1999 (and Datamonitor’s report on Core Systems Technology, 1999 to 2004). It considers how technology and business strategies have evolved in response to further consolidation, the rise and fall of eDelivery and the impact of the slowdown in the retail banking industry. Addressing both bank and technology vendor viewpoints, it analyses and highlights future opportunities and best practice in the short and longer term (Downloaded
From
The financial services technology space in Asia-Pacific will be a $35 billion revenue opportunity by 2005, driven by expansion in the emerging Chinese and Indian markets as growth in Japan stagnates. To capitalize on this opportunity, it is essential that vendors develop localized offerings and target the rapidly expanding life and pensions sector. ‘Financial Services Technology in Asia-Pacific’ is the first in a series of analytical reports exploring key technology trends in Asia-Pacific financial services. The report aims to succinctly conceptualize key business and technology pressures and to identify and quantify the trends in technology utilization. Through the analysis of the technology market by geography, vertical market sector, source and activity, the report provides analysis of the market at a micro level. Country Coverage: Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Singapore and South Korea. (Downloaded From http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reportinfo.asp?report_id=720) 10.
Billing and CRM Datamonitor
believes that the key CRM and IP billing vendors are starting to
merge in an effort to extend their offerings and to expand in
adjoining areas. This is already apparent in the telecom sector,
where all the key billing and CRM companies are strengthening their
alliances and a few, such as Amdocs and Convergys, have already
acquired new companies. This trend could eventually spread to other
vertical sectors such as the utilities sector, as energy companies
have similar billing and CRM needs to telcos. Although the CRM and
billing markets differ greatly in nature and structure, key players
in both markets are currently building bridges between the two.
High-end CRM vendors (Siebel, Convergys and Clarify) and top IP
billing players (Amdocs, Portal, Convergys) are gradually converging
as the CRM and billing overlap becomes greater and as CRM solutions
offer a greater degree of integration with billing solutions.
However, the two markets and solutions seem to have irreconcilable
differences, which will make bundling the two types solutions a
challenge very few vendors will be willing to take on. The other
difficult challenge for both CRM and billing players is to find a
match, which will ensure their positioning in either market. As a
result, it is unlikely that crossing the border from billing to CRM
will be an easy move for most companies, even though extending
offerings in this direction makes perfect sense for many vendors.
This brief explains the current issues related to the telecom
billing software market and the recent trends suggesting that CRM
and billing may be merging. 11.
The
E-Banking vendor market: a new genera The European eBanking technology sector is now a $2.7bn market. To take advantage of key growth opportunities, it is essential for vendors on both sides of the Atlantic to establish enterprise credibility and understand the eBanking business case.tion emerge? 12.
Global E-Financial Services and distribution channel vendors The
distribution channel / eFinancial Services vendor market is
approaching a shakeout. Expertise in a single channel, line of
business or application is no longer enough to survive. In order to
win FSI mind share and counter the threat of a takeover, it is
critical for vendors to develop and maintain best-of-breed
capability across a diverse application portfolio. This executive
report analyzes how effectively vendors are facing up to this
challenge. The report offers an analytical update of the global
distribution channel vendor / eFinancial Services vendor market in
three major geographic regions: Europe, the US and Asia-Pacific. It:
?begins with an investigation of key channel and eFinancial Services
developments in the financial services sector; ?goes on to examine
how effectively vendors are formulating their strategies in order to
respond to these trends; ?details how vendors need to develop their
strategies in order to build or maintain a market-leading position, with
Datamonitor’s view of the best-positioned players. 13.
Kiosks and
ATMs: Servicing on the run
This brief will explore the kiosk and ATM market, discuss a number of initiatives that kiosk and ATM vendors and end-users are taking, and the drivers of end-user demand. In addition, it will consider the place that kiosks occupy within the wider CRM space, the growing importance of integration and the implication it has for market dynamics. Particular attention is paid to the current need for end users to web enable kiosks as a means of driving revenues and providing greater services to the consumer. (Downloaded
from 14.
Sources of Product Information for E-Procurement Applications Product
information content is the descriptive, pricing, availability, and
other attribute data that describes goods and services.
E-procurement systems, including Web-based indirect purchasing
systems, facilities management systems, and retailer/distributor
inventory management systems, critically rely on product information
from suppliers. Without this information, these systems will not
work (and, to make the point, are not worth the investment of
capital). (Downloaded
from
15.
Applications As growth in the retail eBanking, eInsurance and eWealth Management markets stagnates, development of a credible eSME Banking proposition is emerging as the next eFinancial Services growth area for leading commercial banks. Competition in the space is becoming more intense, meaning that banks will look to significantly extend their core online banking functionality and move away from a generic portal-driven offering. However, packaged vendors must beware: whilst leading eFS vendors are well positioned to exploit growth in the US, IT development in Europe is likely to remain in-house driven. Hot on the heels of Open Finance and Account Aggregation, until recently eAdvice has been positioned as the crowning glory of eFinance applications. Indeed, as self-directed investors seek to navigate rough waters during the current downturn in the financial markets, the business case for eAdvice only seems to have been reinforced. However, nascent technology, a squeeze on new Internet investment, unproven ROI and a vendor market populated almost entirely by start-ups all mean that the momentum that has built up behind online advice is in danger of ebbing away. This brief analyses the business case for eAdvice, the development of eAdvice technology and the future outlook for eAdvice investment. The main focus of this brief is on the European market, although many of the points contained within the analysis are equally relevant to the US market. (Downloaded
from c) Core systems in European Retail
Banking 2001-2 INTRODUCTION:
The European core systems market is dominated by the dynamic between
internal and external core systems spend in banks, with large retail
banks still focusing on internal development. However, the stage is
now set for a shift in the balance between internal and external
spend. SCOPE
OF THIS REPORT: The
report covers the European core systems market examining the
interaction between business, technology and implementation issues
for retail banks. The core systems market is sized in eight
countries or regions: Benelux, France, Germany, Italy, Nordics,
Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. REPORT
HIGHLIGHTS: While the
packaged core systems market for top-tier European banks will not
unlock until 2004-2005, core systems vendors will be hard pressed to
prove their case and build up credibility by then. KEY
REASONS TO BUY THIS REPORT:
Understand the interaction between the drivers in the core systems
market. Identify key market opportunities for packaged core systems,
both for short-term gains and long-term growth. (Downloaded
from d)
Mobile Field Service - evaluating the business case Introduction:
Much focus in the mobile application space has been on mobile sales
force, but mobile field service is where the market is currently at.
The justification for implementation of a mobile field service
application cannot simply be considered in terms of tangible
cost-savings; intangible benefits play an equal part. Datamonitor
delineates a framework for the evaulation of solutions and goes on
to assess the competitive landscape. Scope: * The Business Case:
Datamonitor sets out a framework for assessing the fiscal
qualitative and quantitative effects of tangible and intangible
benefits * Competitive Landscape: analyses market entry from 6
sub-markets and compares in detail the strengths of Oracle,
Peoplesoft, SAP and Siebel. Report Highlights: Application vendors
must realize that partnership strategies will necessarily remain
very fluid over the next two years. While partnerships are currently
imperative in order to secure access to potential customers, vendors
should be wary about contractual obligation regarding joint
activities, slush funds etc in the short term. Mobile field service
solution vendors must be aware that ROI alone is not enough! While
ROI has become a hackneyed phrase, financial justification is a
sales pre-requisite. However, there are intangible elements to
solution benefits, as well as a ''must have'' imperative, providing
immeasurable competitive advantage. Vendors must be prepared for
another 6-9 months of bleak IT spend. The mobile solutions market
has suffered a sluggish start for a number of reasons. Those
solution / middleware vendors relying on funding until they
break-even had better have their finances in place for some time to
come, as the market braces itself for a lack of end-user investment
and continued supplier consolidation. Reasons to Purchase: * Learn
how to justify the business case for mobile solutution
implementation beyond simple ROIs * Discover the relative sizes of
mobile solution sub-markets including spend on devices,
infrastructure, licensed middleware and integration services *
Assess the relative strengths and weaknesses of partnering
strategies within the current market, including those of 4 key
vendors. (Downloaded
from http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reportinfo.asp?report_id=792) e)
Global Personalization Technologies In-depth
analysis of the development of the personalization market in North
America, and in 7 European countries, across 11 vertical markets.
Personalization is a business strategy that is greatly benefiting
from the growth of the Internet and technological developments
surrounding the flow of information between companies and their
customers. Applications for personalization are multiple; it can be
used to channel marketing, sales, service and media information.
Personalization technologies can dramatically enhance the
understanding a business has of its customers while improving their
experience online. Datamonitor''s report ''Global Personalization
Markets: Making one-to-one a reality'' examines the opportunities
and potential that exists in this industry. It provides the reader
with in-depth analysis of the development of the market in North
America, and in 7 European countries, across 11 vertical markets. (Downloaded
from Sales
automation software is a type of program that automates business
tasks such as inventory control, sales processing, and tracking of
customer interactions, as well as analyzing sales forecasts and
performance. Businesses may have a custom version developed
specifically for their needs, or choose from among the increasing
number of sales automation software products, such as Interact
Commerce's ACT! and GoldMine Software's GoldMine. Sales automation
software is sometimes called sales force automation (SFA)
software, and sometimes called customer relations management (CRM)
software. Sales
automation packages typically include a Web-ready database, an
e-mail package, and customizable templates.
A three-tiered architecture is typically used to separate the
database, server, and application to reduce programming demands on
clients. A module-based design is generally used, to allow users to
customize the package to suit their needs. In
August 2000, Oracle released a free CRM software package,
OracleSalesOnline.com which makes information - such as contacts,
schedules, and performance tracking - available online through the
included database program. The package is designed for
medium-to-large enterprises with mobile work forces. All data and
storage are based at an Oracle facility, similar to the application
service provider (ASP)
model, which means that data can be accessed from any Internet
connection and that the client doesn't need special hardware or
software. The Oracle package also includes online staff training. g)
CRM
CRM
(customer relationship management) is an information industry term
for methodologies, software, and usually Internet capabilities that
help an enterprise
manage customer relationships in an organized way. For example, an
enterprise might build a database
about its customers that described relationships in sufficient
detail so that management, salespeople, people providing service,
and perhaps the customer directly could access information, match
customer needs with product plans and offerings, remind customers of
service requirements, know what other products a customer had
purchased, and so forth. According
to one industry view, CRM consists of:
CRM
has a close link to e-procurement. The idea of CRM has been adopted
in the electronic systems, which has ultimately benefited
procurement. 16.
Who can use E-Procurement ? E-Procurement
Applications Have Appeal, but for Different Uses
Companies
are willing to adopt e-procurement applications, but corporate needs
vary. E-procurement
applications are not yet providing a "one size fits all"
solutions, say analysts with IT market analysis firm IDC. Companies
are beginning to see the benefits of automated management of
e-procurement processes, but their needs vary greatly. Many
companies prefer to develop their own procurement strategies,
according to the results of IDC's eProcurement Applications User
Guide. However, more than half are willing to access e-procurement
applications from a service provider or buy a software package. (Downloaded from http://mobilebusinessadvisor.com/doc/08378) 17.
E-Procurement Applications:
Industry Forecasts for 2003/4 A
wide range of eProcurement applications are tipped to be some of the
hottest areas of IT investment over the next twelve months,
according to findings from the latest eWorld Technology Investment
Survey 2003/4. © Copyright 2003 by
IBC E-Procurement Applications Have
Appeal, but for Different Uses E-procurement
applications are not yet providing a "one size fits all"
solutions, say analysts with IT market analysis firm IDC. Companies
are beginning to see the benefits of automated management of
e-procurement processes, but their needs vary greatly. Many
companies prefer to develop their own procurement strategies,
according to the results of IDC's eProcurement Applications User
Guide. However, more than half are willing to access e-procurement
applications from a service provider or buy a software package. 19.
An Overview Of E-Procurement : By NIIT Ltd. a)
Summary b)
Situation c)
Integration
j)
Benefits
for Company
Accelerated
ROI
Supplier
Enablement
Deliver
Scalability and Performance
20.
What is
Mobile - Commerce ? Mobile Commerce: New Opportunities for Business Growth
Every five years or so, a technology wave emerges that has major transformational power for business. If we look backward to the 1980s, these waves are easily defined in hindsight: the personal computer and the advent of local area networking. In the 1990s, the two transformational waves were client server computing and then the Internet: the granddaddy of all waves to date. Each of these waves shared several characteristics. Their underlying technologies existed for some time; however, corporate use of the technology was initially unplanned, often driven by “maverick” departments or individuals operating independently of corporate strategy or the technology organization. Early pilot projects were attempted without underlying business cases. Few people concerned themselves with ROI or payback analysis of the projects enabled by these new technologies. Development of a consistent business and technical architecture occurred later, rather than at the start of the adoption cycle. Internal technical competencies and infrastructures were developed late, often exposing the business to risks stemming from unmet customer expectations. Initially, these technologies were viewed in a bi-polar form: some saw them as threats to the business, others viewed them as key ingredients in streamlining the business’ operations, or even as enablers of new business models. Today, we are at the beginning of another new technology wave, one built on mobile and wireless technologies. This wave shares all of the characteristics of the former waves, and corporate adoption seems to be following the same flawed, unplanned track it pursued with the earlier waves. It is time to take a different approach. Mobile and wireless commerce is the ability to conduct business transactions while on the move, including selling, buying, communicating and sharing information. It includes the enterprise applications required to maintain relationships and process information by means of remote devices. Starting out, one myth needs to be debunked. Mobile and wireless technologies are not new. Many of the base technologies have existed for over ten years, mostly in less visible backoffice applications like bar-codes and remote data capture. Like technologies in previous waves, they have matured while converging and creating new opportunities for business application. Like
earlier technology waves, mobile and wireless computing has often
come into the enterprise through the efforts of an innovator or
early technology adopter. Most of the solutions deployed have been
for personal benefit: contact management, calendering, and email.
While this form of adoption gets users comfortable with new
technologies, it does not address business value in any significant
way. The opportunity to enhance business value through operational
cost reduction, productivity gains, increased customer satisfaction,
and through new revenues remains unfulfilled.
In earlier technology waves, building solid business cases for technology investments was usually not done. Without a business case, investments can not be managed effectively, project priorities established, or accountability created. Early mobile and wireless projects have too often shared this characteristic with earlier waves. Lessons learned should be applied to mobile and wireless. There should not be much doubt that these technologies will be transforming: the benefits are relatively incontrovertible. Shifting the computing platform from the office PC to the mobile worker benefits both the organization and the worker. The trend toward remote and mobile workers is clear, it could be a population of nearly 40 million users in the U.S. alone in the next five years. Today, 28% of U.S. workers are mobile and the population is spread evenly on a percentage basis in both large and small companies. The benefits offered by mobile and wireless computing are based on these critical factors:
If you are now at least willing to consider the potential benefits of mobile commerce, let me now share a three-step best practice approach based on lessons learned from personal experience with earlier technology waves. Being interested in mobile commerce is important, but knowing what to do first is more important. Most organizations do not have a methodology for conducting opportunity assessments. An opportunity assessment initially should prioritize business processes that are the best candidates for mobile and wireless technologies based on several factors, starting with the value of the process to the business (number of workers, average time spent, cost per hour, yielding a high- level annual process cost). After process costing has been completed, the processes need to be evaluated against the mobile characteristics described above: location, content, time and mission. In a typical organization, there are often 80-100 candidate processes for mobile enablement. The opportunity assessment should generate a Top 10 list, based on the process value (cost) and mobile triggers. This exercise will help establish project priorities across many potentially competing investment scenarios. Once an opportunity assessment has been completed, the organization should conduct a mobile readiness assessment. This assessment helps management understand their organizational readiness to take on new mobile and wireless technologies. It should cover activities ranging from internal education to development of business cases, assessment of strategic fit, and development of business architectures and support systems as well as technology architectures and operational platforms. It measures organizational competency to undertake a mobile initiative. With both assessments completed, two critical questions have been answered: “What to do” and “What do we need to get ready to do it.” There are tools available in the marketplace to enable these answers in a time and cost-effective manner. The third, and last, start-up issue relates to designing a mobile and wireless pilot project. If you have completed both the opportunity and readiness assessments, you now have the base for a pilot project. These assessments have helped you set expectations and operational and financial goals of your pilot project. Best practices relating to mobile pilot projects also include: managing your pilot for a short-term payback (ideally 12-18 months maximum), avoiding hardware and software and network integration issues by looking for suppliers who will take on the integration challenges for you (this allows you to concentrate on the business processes), managing risk by dealing pro-actively with security concerns, understanding cultural and training issues, and focusing on getting a return-on-learning (ROL) from the pilot. It
is not too early to start your planning around mobile commerce. Some
are calling it “pervasive computing,” so sure are they that it
will transform business. Following best practices in assessing your
opportunities, your readiness, and designing pilot projects for
maximum learning are all important keys to success. 21.
Some FAQs
on Mobile-Commerce
Nokia 6310
Nokia 7650 Nokia 9290
Nokia 7210 Wallet Application 1.
What is the wallet application? The
wallet is an application inside a range of Nokia mobile phones that
enables consumers to get easy access to mobile services and to make
convenient online mobile transactions. In the wallet, consumers can
store sensitive personal information, such as payment and loyalty
card details, delivery addresses, and notes, as well as service
profiles. For
instance, when logging into a mobile service that requires user name
and password-based authentication, the consumer can fetch the needed
information from the wallet instead of memorizing it and entering it
manually. In a similar manner, s/he can easily retrieve payment card
details and possibly a delivery address when making an online
purchase. All the data in the wallet is encrypted and behind a
wallet PIN code. The
wallet application is based on existing open technologies and
specifications: Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) and Electronic
Commerce Modeling Language (ECML). ECML
stands for Electronic Commerce Modeling Language. It is a
specification, developed and maintained by the Internet Engineering
Task Force (IETF), that provides a standard set of hierarchically
organized, payment-related information fields in an XML syntax that
will enable automated software, such as mobile phone wallets, from
multiple vendors to supply and query for needed data in a uniform
manner. Electronic
commerce frequently requires a substantial exchange of information
in order to complete a purchase or other transaction. With ECML,
this task can be more easily automated. Wallet software based on
ECML can assist in conducting online transactions by storing
billing, shipping, payment, preference, and similar information, and
by using this information to automatically complete the data sets
required by interactions. ECML
is an existing Internet standard, already commonly used in online
shopping. Thus, Internet merchants can easily adapt their e-business
to the mobile context. ECML
is a structure, not a protocol. It is security-mechanism independent
and can be integrated to other transaction protocols and security
elements when available. For more information, please see http://www.ietf.org/
and Mobile
Commerce Documents. 3.
How can the information be inserted into the wallet?
The
user can either enter information by keying it in manually or
alternatively can receive card details from the service providers
over the air (OTA). 4.
How to use wallet for payment
5.
How secure are the wallet and online payments?
The
data stored inside the terminal is encrypted and protected with a
special wallet PIN code, which is used to allow the user access to
the application. Also,
the WAP security elements that provide higher session security can
be used alongside the wallet application in services that require a
high level of security. Wireless Transport Layer Security (WTLS) in
WAP 1.x compliant phones and Transport Layer Security (TLS) and
Secure Socket Layer (SSL) in WAP 2.0 compliant phones are used for
server authentication and data encryption, whereas Wireless Identity
Module (WIM) is used for digital signatures enabling authenticated
payments. With
server authentication and digital signatures, mobile transactions
are even more secure than transactions on the fixed-line Internet. 6.
What happens if the user forgets the wallet code?
If
the user keys in the wrong wallet code five times, the wallet will
be blocked for five minutes. If s/he forgets the code, the wallet
information can be reset with a general security code, which the
mobile user can find in the phone's user guide. (Note: The user then
loses all the information contained in the wallet.) 7.
What does the wallet require from the merchant?
In
order to make online purchases convenient for consumers, merchants
need to define the data fields that the consumer has to fill in
according to ECML. Many Internet merchants already use ECML forms in
their Internet services. There are no changes necessary between the
merchant and the acquirer bank, which makes it very easy for
merchants to adapt their Internet business to the mobile world. 8.
How do different parties benefit from the wallet?
The
wallet application greatly enhances the mobile browsing and purchase
experience by providing secure storage for personal information,
such as service access cards and payment card details, and an easy
means to use it when online. Consumer convenience is a key driver
for mobile commerce and that is exactly what the wallet provides. In
brief, for consumers, the wallet offers:
For
merchants, the wallet introduces:
Mobile
network operators mainly benefit from:
For
developers, the wallet offers:
9.
Which Nokia phones have the wallet application?
The
wallet was first introduced in the Nokia 6310. Subsequently, Nokia
has launched a wide range of mobile phones that have this
application. For the most current list, please see the www.nokia.com/nokia/0,5184,3548,00.html.
Mobile networks and technologies advance all the time, and the wallet application also continues to develop further. The Nokia 6220 is the first phone to feature the new, advanced version of the wallet application -- wallet 2.0. The Nokia 6220 was launched in March 2003 and Nokia phones that feature the wallet thereafter will have the new version. ( Casio Cassiopeia EM-500 Color Pocket PC )
10.
Is it possible to upgrade wallet 1.0 to wallet 2.0?
Unfortunately
it is not possible to upgrade from an older wallet version to a
newer one. Wireless
Identity Module (WIM) For
optimum security, some parts of the WAP security functionality need
to be performed by a tamper-resistant device so that an attacker
cannot retrieve sensitive data. In particular, this data includes
the permanent private keys used in the WTLS handshake with client
authentication, and also used for making application level
electronic signatures (such as confirming an application level
transaction). WIM
is a security module, originally specified by the WAP Forum
(specification work continued by the Open Mobile Alliance) that is
used in performing WTLS, TLS and application-level security
functions, and, especially, for storing and processing information
needed for user identification and authentication. The
WIM is an independent smart-card application, which makes it
possible to implement it as a WIM-only card or as part of a
multi-application card containing other card applications, like the
GSM SIM. The implementations differ in business and usage
considerations. For
more information, please see http://www.openmobilealliance.com/documents.html.
12.
What is a digital signature?
A
digital signature can be used for authentication or non-repudiation
purposes (e.g., signing a document or confirming a transaction),
which are key conditions in establishing the merits for legally
binding commercial transactions. In many key countries, such as the
U.S., Germany, and the U.K., legislation regarding the acceptance of
the digital signature as a legally binding transaction has been or
is being developed. The
digital signature is executed in the WAP application security layer
and initiated by a code embedded in a WAP page. In practice, a
digital signature can be made by keying in the personal signing PIN.
The user connects, for example, to a WAP shop and selects the items
to buy. After filling in the transaction details (payee, credit card
number, etc.) using the mobile wallet, the browser displays the
transaction details (SignText including date, amount, etc.) for
approval. If everything is correct, the user digitally signs the
transaction by entering the signing PIN, and the browser display
shows that the transaction was successful. The
signing PIN will be supplied with the smart card, which includes the
security module. Mobile wallets, used alongside digital signatures,
greatly improve security in mobile transactions, and are also
convenient and easy to use. 13.
What are the security keys and user certificates used for?
Certificates
are used for authentication. The main purpose of certificates is to
ensure that a certain public key really belongs to a certain user
(e.g., person, organization, or server/service). In Public Key
Infrastructure (PKI) solutions, the issued certificate is fixed to a
specific user identity through certificate enrollment. The
certificate enrollment means that, for example, in order to get a
government-issued ID chip card, the user goes to the police station
with a passport and fills in an application. After that a
certificate is issued. The
wireless PKI (WPKI) solution entails anonymous key pairs being
pre-installed into the WIM cards together with a corresponding PIN
code. A manufacturer's certificate ensures the authenticity of the
keys. In the first instance of secure service usage, the
Registration Authority (RA) of the WPKI validates the credentials
and then requests the CA (Certificate Authority) to create and
provide a certificate, thus binding the anonymous key pair to a
specific user identity. To
acquire a SIM card with the security module, the user certificates,
and the signing PIN, the user must contact the SIM card issuer. 14.
What are the benefits of using WIM?
WIM
can provide a high level of security for applications and services
that need it, such as mobile banking services, stock trading,
higher-value online payments, and secure access. When using WIM,
mobile users can feel confident about making mobile transactions.
WIM also makes using some services easier, as consumers do not have
to carry around one-time password lists. Instead, one PIN is
sufficient for authentication to use different services. And because
WIM enables non-repudiated payments, merchants and service providers
experience less fraud. 15.
What is required from the merchants' or service providers' side to
enable digitally signed payments?
To be
able to transmit digitally signed content, the payment service
provider must use a WPKI infrastructure. See WPKI specifications at www.wapforum.org/what/technical.htm
22.
Other Information on Mobile-Commerce
What
should firms do to ensure the third-generation mobile applications
and services they develop can generate sustainable revenues? ZDNet
seeks some answers from experts in the field. Mobile commerce
applications that use third-generation (3G) wireless technology are
likely to appear slowly, but they will grow steadily over the next
five years, predicts analyst firm The Yankee Group. It estimates
that by 2006, telecoms operators in western Europe will reap five
percent of their turnover from mobile commerce, taking a share of
transaction and advertising revenue. Early
high-profile services are likely to be aimed mainly at consumers.
Worldzap, for example, is a firm set up last March to deliver
premium sports and entertainment content to mobile devices. Its core
business will be the delivery of near-live video clips of exclusive
sports highlights to mobile phones. Worldzap
has not yet said when it will roll out the service. 'We have not yet
proven we can scale up the offering and we will need to work with
telecoms carriers and handset providers,' said Brad Kwong, chief
executive of Worldzap. 'So currently we are focusing on 2G mobile
systems and the delivery of text and audio services.' Educating
businesses and users about the possibilities of 3G mobile services
will be vital to their success. Consumer applications like that
offered by Worldzap will help this process by showing people how
mobile commerce works, in the same way that early consumer
e-commerce applications demonstrated the business potential of
e-trade. 'There isn't a perceived need among people at the moment as
to why they would need these services on their mobile,' said Jamie
Pierre Bridel, senior principal for mobile services at American
Management Systems, a business and technology consultancy. Another
key to success will be the management of user expectations. WAP-based
services have suffered because they were promoted as the 'Internet
on your mobile phone' . The reality cannot fulfil this promise and
has left many users disappointed. Declan Lonergan, director of the
wireless mobile group at Yankee, said, 'Expectations management is
critical for the future of m-commerce because everyone is reminded
of the way WAP was overhyped. For m-commerce to succeed, it is
important not to launch new services until they are ready.' Developers
of m-commerce applications should focus on the key benefits of
mobile technology, said Lonergan. 'Applications need to focus on
mobility and not compete directly with [other types of] e-commerce,'
he said. 'Don't focus on the sale of goods online. Focus on
applications where the customer is mobile, such as mobile
ticketing.' Interoperability
of computer systems will also be important if m-commerce
applications are to grow. Klaus Elix, European chief technology
officer at American Management Systems, said, 'Firms need to think
about interoperability and integrating their partners into their own
IT systems. With multiple parties involved, the value chain will
become distributed and IT systems will need to be re-architected to
support this.' How firms will charge for m-commerce and how they
will share revenues is still unclear. In the medium-term network
operators are expected to take a share of transactions or of
advertising revenues by forming partnerships with content providers.
'Mobile
operators are going in the direction of a walled garden approach [so
users have to use those operators' systems] to get revenue share,'
said Bridel. 'That is the direction the market is going in and it is
sustainable for the next five to six years.' The
success of Short Message Service (SMS) messaging may also offer some
lessons and models for m-commerce firms, said Sherry Roberts,
corporate development director at portal firm Lycos Europe. 'We need
to understand existing revenue streams such as SMS and convert SMS
users to GPRS services,' said Roberts. 23.
Whether Mobile-Commerce is Helpful or Hyped? These
days it seems everyone is talking about mobile commerce — or
m-commerce to the hip and trendy.
Put a little too
simply, m-commerce is buying and selling goods and services via
wireless devices. These include wireless Web-enabled cellular phones
and personal data assistants (PDAs) like Palm
Inc.'s Palm VII handheld device. As
the owner of a small or midsized business, you might wonder whether
m-commerce offers any value for you. Most of the articles you've
seen on the topic probably have focused on software and systems that
let end users buy goods and services from Web sites using their cell
phones as electronic wallets. In
this scenario, online merchants integrate checkout and wallet
software, such as that offered by Qpass,
into their Web sites. This allows consumers to use their mobile
devices to seamlessly complete their online purchases from their
wireless devices. On the Road
Again?
But
there's another way to think about mobile commerce that's less
married to buzzwords and more pertinent to the bottom line of your
small business. After all, it's not just consumers who are mobile.
Many merchants are, too. Does
your business sell on the road? If you travel to flea markets and
fairs, or if you work as locksmith, limousine driver, tow truck
operator, plumber, sales representative or courier, the answer is
yes. Mobile
merchants face the challenge of trying to process Web site sales in
a cost-effective way while still quickly detecting and preventing
fraud and data errors. Now, more Internet-based systems are emerging
that help solve this problem. Old Tricks
Believe
it or not, the ability to process credit cards on the road has
existed for several years. Terminals such as the Nurit 3010 by Lipman
Electronic Engineering connect to the credit card networks via
cellular data services. These
units and others like them give mobile merchants the advantage of
being able to process a high volume of credit cards quickly and
easily without having to call the information into their offices or
merchant service providers. They can do this without foregoing the
benefits of live transaction processing, such as fraud detection. But
cost is a potential drawback to traditional wireless units for some
businesses. It's not unusual for these units to lease for more than
$100 (U.S.) per month. Purchasing is an option but expect to pay
$1,600 or more, depending on the unit's features and the wireless
circuitry used. And
don't forget that even if you purchase, you'll still be responsible
for monthly cellular service to connect your new terminal to the
credit card networks. And some merchant service providers charge
higher transaction fees for wireless transactions. These
terminals can be ideal for merchants who deal with high transaction
volumes, need only one or two terminals, or who can't connect to an
ordinary phone line while on the go. But with the many costs
involved, these terminals aren't for everyone. New Dogs
More
wireless payment processing solutions have been developed recently.
Take PayPal,
which offers services via the traditional Internet as well as via
wireless Web devices. Once
registered, your phone can be used to view transactions, request
money and even send money fast with the added advantage that you
don't need a merchant account. Just remember that in order to use
PayPal, your customers will first need to be registered as PayPal
users. PocketCashier,
a collection of services offered by PocketWorks, my own business,
brings mobile commerce to merchants. Instead of allowing end users
to complete purchases from sites, PocketCashier allows merchants to
complete any sale. With
PocketCashier, merchants on the move turn to their wireless Web
phone or personal data assistants and complete their sales by
entering their customers' account information. This
information is securely transmitted along with details of the sale
to PocketCashier. From
there, credit card transactions are settled through the merchant
account provider. The system also features a dial-up server known as
an automated voice response (AVR) unit so that any touch-tone phone
can be used to complete sales by responding to voice prompts. Solutions
like PocketCashier are known as unified transaction portals. That's
just a fancy way of saying that PocketCashier works in conjunction
with credit card merchant accounts to process all your sales,
regardless of how and where you do business. But
unified transaction portals aren't for everyone. If you do business
in a flea market-like environment where you perform 20 or more
transactions an hour, you're likely to be happier using your
wireless phone as a modem for your laptop and attaching an optional
credit card or check reader to speed input and processing time. Hip and
Practical?
So
when it comes to mobile commerce, it's not just consumers who get to
have all the fun anymore. Whether it's traditional wireless credit
card terminals such as the Nurit 3010, alternative payment systems
like PayPal, or an all-in-one solution like PocketCashier, there's
likely a mobile commerce solution that is practical for your
business. All
these services pack powerful convenience as well as the ability to
detect and stop some fraud. With
such power to offer, it's hard to think of this new breed of
merchant-centric mobile commerce as being all hype.
Mobile
commerce, or m-commerce, is fast becoming an integral part of our
lives. The market is growing rapidly, fuelled by the huge uptake of
SMS by mobile phone users. More mobile phones than computers are
used throughout the world, resulting in a substantial market for
m-commerce applications and services. Apart from the proliferation
of mobile phones, the reason for the popularity of m-commerce is the
fact that mobile devices can be used almost anywhere and anytime. The
key drivers for the uptake of m-commerce are ease of use,
personalisation, location awareness and immediacy. M-commerce can be
defined as applications and services on mobile devices such as
cellular phones, Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) and other
handheld devices such as those used for remote data capturing, e.g.
meter reading, and involves a transaction conducted via the mobile
device over a mobile network for information, services or goods. There
are a number of applications and services, which are applicable to
the electricity industry in particular. Examples include customer
billing and payment via mobile phone, energy trading via mobile
phones, customer relationship management and electricity prepayment
via SMS. Internationally, m-commerce is being used in utilities
for functions including field services, remote asset management,
remote meter reading and on-site planning. Field
services aim to improve efficiencies in operations and maintenance.
If an emergency occurs, either an outage or fault, it is detected
via smart devices embedded in the utility equipment or an industrial
customer’s machine. Notification is then sent to the central
system in the control room, which has access to vehicle locations,
skills and equipment in the field as well as information about the
equipment or machine, its location and installation particulars, and
its maintenance and repair history. Work tasks are communicated
to the technicians via GSM/GPRS with task details and the necessary
technical details. Reports by the engineers on job status/closure,
time spent on the job and the cost of materials as well as an
incident report are then generated. Remote
meter reading reduces costs by eliminating manual reading and
shortens the billing cycle. It also provides spontaneous and query
reporting, anytime data and power quality/reliability reporting. The
benefits of remote meter reading are enhanced by other applications
that can leverage the real time data. Automatic data integration,
data validation, and cost allocation result in increased
billing/accounting efficiency. Automatic peak scheduling allows
customers to avoid demand penalties. Automatic power correction
makes for the efficient use of distribution and transmission
networks. Remote connection and disconnection, real-time pricing and
power tariffs, result in time and money savings.
Remote
asset monitoring and reconfiguration uses smart devices with
intelligent capabilities, using rules based software, to remotely
interrogate assets and data, enabling equipment to reconfigure
itself/send alerts and to collaborate intelligently to optimise
their performance. The benefits of remote asset monitoring and
configuration include the ability to capture diagnostic information
needed to improve maintenance planning, sourcing and up front
design, which leads to reduction of the number of faults. The use of
intelligent agents to reconfigure software remotely improves
efficiency and the ability to download information from the asset,
interpret the information and provide advice on how to repair it. On-site
planning allows for the automation of the distribution design
process by combining mapping, engineering capabilities and access to
large databases. All-digital job order cycles can then be created
where quotes and orders are accepted on-site. Project
designs can be created on-site using field sketching tools. Spatial
information and costed assemblies and materials are combined to
provide cost calculations and build materials lists. This allows for
real-time management and decision making. On-site planning creates
substantial efficiencies in work management and the overall design
process. There
are still a number of challenges to be overcome before m-commerce
becomes all-pervasive, particularly in the financial sector.
Security, universal standards, technologies, software and operating
systems, network coverage and battery life, sound quality, cost and
memory capacity of mobile devices, are some of the current concerns.
These limitations are however unlikely to pose a problem in the
longer term. The major benefits of m-commerce for utilities are attributed to enhanced efficiencies being achieved throughout the business. The outcome of investing in m-commerce could be improved customer satisfaction, reduced costs, increased revenues and ultimately an inflated bottom line. Just as the Internet has had a profound impact on the way many companies do business, m-commerce is set to do the same. 25.
Mobile Commerce Applications : 1) February 2003- Introducing the NEW S4100 Multi-Function Reader Module, a flexible and low-cost device that accepts ISO/IEC 14443 and ISO/IEC 15693 standards-compliant radio frequency (RF) transponders used for contactless payment applications. Texas Instruments Radio Frequency
Identification is changing the way businesses serve their
customers by creating smart and secure
RFID technology solutions for the B2C CRM and payment markets. The wireless
technology that Texas Instruments RFid provides enables
consumers to pay for gas, food, and other items at the check out
counter with a wave of their hand. Now, customers do not even need a
wallet because they can use their mobile phone or a special keychain
to pay for their purchases. Along with many other applications,
this same type technology can also be used to allow for personnel
access, ticketing, payTV, gaming, and payphone applications. Add2Phone's
Mobile Competition Server gives you the power to create mobile quiz,
voting and lottery applications rapidly and cost-effectively. Using
text messaging (SMS) and multimedia (MMS), Mobile Competition Server
provides the best and most flexible technical solution to run
services that are interactive, relevant and timely. With a few
mouseclicks, a mobile feedback channel can be added to events,
television, radio and product packaging. 3)
BUSINESS BENEFITS With
Mobile Competition Server you can launch competitions and voting
services up and running remarkably quickly. These services are an
instant new revenue stream and a proven way of increasing the
average revenue per user. Competitions can be used as part of your
overall marketing strategy to promote products and services and to
build brand awareness. The competitive element and the chance for an
instant win hold customers attention and help to increase customer
loyalty. A poll can be used to hold a conventional vote or, for
example in CRM, as either a feedback channel or as market research
that provides an instant indicator of customer opinions. 4)
KEY FEATURES
Mobile
Competition Server allows you to create and manage successful
carrier grade mobile competition type services via a web-based
graphical user interface (GUI). Once the system is installed, you
can create and modify services securely via the Internet. The GUI
employs customizable modular wizards that make the management
process intuitive and fast. The underlying system modularity results
in flexibility and extensibility, enabling Mobile Competition Server
to adapt and grow with your mobile business needs. Mobile
Competition Server's non-proprietary interfaces ease the process of
integration into your existing corporate infrastructure and
applications e.g. web sites and CRM.
About a company: General information about Oskando
Our
mission statement and present goals: MISSION
GOALS
We
started from mobile equipment development. We realized quickly that
mobile hardware is just one building block of the Telematics an
M-commerce puzzle and moved our business forward to mobile solutions
development. Our current product portfolio contains mobile solutions
and mobile hardware. Let’s
take a look on the mobile solution landscape and where our products
fit on it. As
it was mentioned above we started from mobile hardware design. Then
we looked up for solutions where to use our mobile devices. We found
out that there were no systems available. Our first mobile commerce
project was mobile vending system for Coca-Cola vending machines.
Mobile parking and other m-systems followed the first project as
easy and logical steps. Our
systems contain mostly all of following parts:
M -
Vending is used for mobile
vending purchases. M -
Parking is similar to m –
vending but here customer “purchases” parking time. M -
Ticket uses same building
blocks but business logic is what differs from systems above. Last
system developed by Oskando is M - Lotto – ‘mobile
front-end’ for mobile lotto ticket acquiring. All interface
modules can be re-used. All systems use same logic for management
and administration making it easy to implement and operate other M -
Server line products. Executive
Summary of our Solutions M-Parking
solution adds new value to already existing parking business and
gives innovative solution for entering this market. Modern
parking – mobile parking You
just stopped your car. You are looking for parking meter, coins,
parking coupons, calculating how long you will park, ... Yes,
thousands and millions are parking every day – in old fashioned
way. You
live in 21th century. You stop your car. You pick up your mobile
phone. You send SMS. Three easy steps – your car is parked. And
these steps are easy to learn – there is nothing to learn. New
opportunities for customer and operator M-Parking
offers something new for every participant of the parking process. Customer:
Parking
operator:
Mobile
operator:
Local
government (or other authority, responsible for organizing parking
possibilities and rules):
Requirements M-Parking
system can be configured to operate in different ways, but there are
some requirements, what must be fulfilled:
M-Ticket
system can be used as independent ticketing system or integrated
with already existing ticketing system. System can be used in
different areas – public transport, festivals, museums, etc. Mobile
tickets for everybody and everywhere Your
mobile phone is always with you - in public transport, during
vacation, in a museum. You want to take a ride from downtown to zoo.
No problems – just send SMS or dial to service number and your bus
ticket is activated and confirmation SMS with ticket details is sent
to you as SMS message. The same simple procedure is used at the
entrance gates of the zoo. SMS containing ticket details has
accidentally erased – no problem - get copy by sending SMS. New
opportunities for customer and operator What
advantages are offered by M-Ticket system? Customer:
Ticket
operator:
Mobile
operator:
Local
government (or other authority, responsible for organizing public
transport):
Requirements M-Ticket
system can be configured to operate in different ways, but there are
some requirements, what must be fulfilled:
M-Lotto
system can be used as mobile front-end to existing lotto system.
Modern front-end to lotto system makes possible to offer new
services to customer and extend lifecycle of the existing stable and
reliable system. Mobile
chances = real wins Are
you ready to play lotto? Yes – pick up your mobile phone, make a
call to service number, receive SMS containing detailed information
about your lotto ticket and receive SMS about your win. OK, maybe
you don’t win all the time, but you can test your luck always and
everywhere. New
opportunities for customer and operator What
advantages are offered by M-Lotto system? Customer:
Lotto
operator:
Mobile
operator:
Requirements M-Ticket
system can be configured to operate in different ways, but there are
some requirements, what must be fulfilled:
Electronic commerce (e-commerce) is broadly defined as the buying and selling of goods using electronic transaction processing technologies. More narrowly, electronic commerce uses transaction-processing technologies that rely on the Internet and the World Wide Web (WWW). It includes both business-to-business transactions and business-to-consumer transactions. Mobile electronic commerce (m-commerce) and en route commerce are electronic commerce transactions conducted while traveling from one point to another. Whereas traditional electronic commerce involves two stationary (e.g., desktop) computers, m-commerce involves at least one mobile (e.g., in-vehicle or handheld) computer. There are numerous ways in which people are likely to use en route commerce technologies when they become available. For example, while driving one might want to
As another example, while flying one might want to
Indeed, there are as many ways to use en route commerce technologies as there are to use traditional electronic commerce technologies. Research
on Transaction Technologies
A great deal of attention has been given to the transaction technologies required for e-commerce; however, to date, very little attention has been given to m-commerce transactions. The presumption seems to be that m-commerce and e-commerce require the same kinds of technologies. In fact, the two require very different technologies. A traditional electronic commerce transaction has two stages. In the first stage of this kind of transaction the customer transmits an electronic order and an electronic payment. Then, in the second stage, the vendor ships the product to the customer. Obviously, m-commerce cannot use this process because the vendor cannot deliver to a moving target. Instead, customers must come to vendors and this changes the nature of transaction processes. In traditional e- commerce, customers can be identified by their fixed locations (i.e., their addresses). With m-commerce transactions, this is no longer possible. In fact, m-commerce transactions have three stages and two distinct approaches can be used, one involving prepayment and the other involving payment on delivery (POD). The first stage of the prepaid approach is very similar to the approach used in e-commerce. That is, the user transmits an electronic order and an electronic payment to the vendor. However, things change in the second stage since the vendor cannot use a customer’s shipping address as her/his identity. In other words, it is important to prevent imposters from taking delivery. Hence, in the second stage, the vendor transmits an electronic voucher back to the user (in lieu of being able to ship the actual product). Then, in the final stage of the process, the customer arrives at the vendor, transmits the electronic voucher back to the vendor, and is given the product. In the first stage of the payment on delivery approach, the customer transmits an electronic order to the vendor. In the second stage, the vendor transmits an electronic quote (i.e., a guaranteed price) back to the customer. In the third and final stage, the customer arrives at the vendor, transmits the electronic quote and payment (which may or may not be electronic) to the vendor, and receives the product. Obviously, the approach that will be used will depend on the situation. For example, it seems likely that gasoline stations will use the POD approach since drivers will probably be unwilling to pay for gasoline at the time they are trying to find the best price (and they will probably be unwilling to trust gasoline stations to report the correct price). On the other hand, drive-through restaurants will probably use a prepaid approach since they will be unwilling to begin preparing your meal if they have not been paid. The purpose of this research effort is to develop the technologies needed to conduct secure m-commerce transactions. Research
on Secure Search Agents
En route commerce requires fairly sophisticated search agents. It is not enough to know what vendors supply a particular product/service, nor is it enough to identify the vendors that are within a particular radius of your current location. Instead, the user must know what vendors are “conveniently accessible” given her/his current route. In addition, en route commerce search agents must be considerably more autonomous than traditional search agents. For example, consider how a traditional search agent would be used to comparison shop for gasoline – it would involve an enormous amount of interaction by the user. Certainly the driver of the vehicle cannot engage in an interactive search. In addition, though passengers may have the time necessary to engage in an interactive search, the communications bandwidth and the in-vehicle computing technology is not likely to support these kinds of searches. The purpose of this research effort is to develop search technologies that overcome these shortcomings of existing search agents while remaining secure. This involves both client-side and server-side technologies. This effort is focusing on the kinds of domain specific searches (e.g., restaurants, hotels, gasoline stations) that are likely to arise when en route. It includes the development of standards (e.g., for gas stations, restaurants) that will enable vendors to quickly and securely make all of their relevant attributes available to these advanced search agents. Research
on the Market for Secure Mobile Commerce
Security is not free. That is, in general, secure mobile commerce technologies will be more expensive than other technologies. They will tend to require more bandwidth, a more powerful computing platform, and be more expensive to develop. Of course, these costs will need to be passed on to consumers. Hence, the purpose of this research effort is to understand the market forces involved in secure mobile commerce. 27.
Recent Developments in Mobile-Commerce:
Send
More Than Just Words
One
of the most recent developments in mobile messaging is known as
multimedia messaging service (MMS). Just as the traditional short
message service (SMS), multimedia messaging provides automatic and
immediate delivery of personal messages. Unlike the SMS however, MMS
allows mobile phone users to enhance their messages by incorporating
sound, images, and other rich content, transforming it into a
personalized visual and audio message. But
MMS technology offers more than just a broadening of message
content. With MMS, it is not only possible to send your multimedia
messages from one phone to another, but also from phone to email,
and vice versa. This feature dramatically increases the
possibilities of mobile communication, both for private and
corporate use. Multimedia
messaging reshapes the landscape of mobile communication, making it
more personal, more versatile, and more expressive than ever before.
That's why we're thrilled by it, and we think you will be too. To
see more of the new MMS technology, and to have a look at the
amazing new MMS-enabled mobile phones by Nokia Content Although
MMS encompasses a wide range of content types, it is a logical
extension of SMS, making it easily adoptable for today's generation
of mobile users. Another advantage of MMS is that the message is a
multimedia presentation in a single entry, not a text file with
attachments, making it much simpler and user-friendly. Compatibility The
MMS standard lists JPEG, GIF, text, AMR voice, and other formats as
supported media types, while unsupported formats are handled in a
controlled way. Like SMS, MMS is an open industry standard, and MMS
messages can be delivered using existing networks and protocols. MMS
is also bearer-independent, which means it is not limited to GSM or
WCDMA networks. Performance The
speed of MMS transmission, although quick, is still dependent on the
message size and on the bearer used. However, since the receiver is
not aware of the ongoing transmission before the message has been
delivered, the delay is imperceptible, making MMS as convenient to
use as SMS. Recent
Developments in Electronic Payments INTERNET
PAYMENTS TECHNOLOGY Presence
Technology To Make its Debut Shortly Even with the extensive choice
communications tools from voice calls, voice-mail, e-mail, instant
messaging, along with a proliferation of devices from cellphones,
wireless PDAs, laptops, and text pagers, it is becoming increasingly
difficult to get in touch with someone. To simplify the act of communication,
wireless vendors such as Motorola and Invertix Corporation have been
developing what is known as 'presence technology.' Early versions of the technology that
will notify a cellphone user of the availability of whom they wish
to speak to are expected later this year. For example, via their
cell phone a mobile worker will be instantly notified of the
availability of a colleague before making a call, thus eliminating a
possible trail of voice-mail messages. In time, presence technology will
offer data that reveals a cellular phone user’s availability
(phone on/off) as well as their location (Are they vacationing in
Hawaii or sitting in a café around the corner), and their mood (Is
this a good time to talk?). Wireless vendors say presence
technology will empower users to control their communications by
establishing priorities, interests, buddy lists, date and time
blocking as well as filtering through only desired messages and
content to designated devices. The concept of the presence starts
with the Buddy, an application for managing on-line presence and
availability as well as personal and business communications. This
allows users to selectively ‘publish’ their presence,
availability, and location via multiple devices from PCs to PDAs. Besides person-to-person
communication, presence technology will also be used to propel
mobile commerce, in other words, facilitating merchant-to-person
communication. Recent
Developments in Presence Technology Motorola
and Personality, Inc. Motorola and Personality will
commence testing the system next month. Invertix
Corporation The Annandale, VA-based company
describes TruePresence technology as combining network-determined
presence that relays the on/off status of the mobile device and
subscriber-configured availability, such as Available, Away, Busy,
Do-Not-Disturb, and Selective Do-Not-Disturb. By recognizing the on-line status and
availability of a wireless subscriber, mobile operators and
messaging service providers can provide real time, relevant services
without wasting precious resources attempting to deliver services
when a subscriber is off-line or unavailable. For more information: http://www.motorola.com/home/
http://www.invertix.com Mobileinfo
Comments and Advisory: Presence technology,
as a concept, is an enhancement of E911 which just gives you the
location of the caller. We expect that there will be a number of
interesting applications that will emerge out of this. When will
this happen? That is a good question. Anybody's guess, right now. 28.
Predictions
of
Mobile
Commerce: 1.Europe is likely to lead mobile commerce market
( see http://uk.gsmbox.com/news/mobile_news/all/58708.gsmbox
for further details ) 2.
Advertisements are to be upgraded by MMS from SMS
(
see http://www.thinkmobile.com/News/00/66/89/
for further details
) 3.
Mobile
commerce is at the centre of IBM's attention 4.
The Net is nice, but business still is done mostly on a phone
call-by-phone call basis. (
see http://www.cba.hawaii.edu/aspy/Aspymkfa.htm
for further details ) 5.
Mobile Commerce Revenues by Region, 2000 vs. 2005 (in
billions) Mobile
commerce revenues include retail, travel, paid content and
advertising revenues generated over wireless connections. US and
Japan total included as part of North America and Asia,
respectively. Columns may not add up due to rounding.
Source:
Jupiter Media Metrix 29. The Impact of Mobile Phones on
Society
A
recent United Nations report (1) has commented that there are nearly
400 million mobile phones in use globally with another 250,000 being
added everyday. Similarly, a 1999 House of Commons science and
technology report (2) predicted that by 2000, 50% of all calls would
be made using mobile phones. Although these figures clearly reflect
the popularity and growth of mobile phones in society, nevertheless
it is important to understand how society has perceived mobile
phones and the impact that they have had on their social
interaction. The
questionnaire research carried out in Northampton showed that 92% of
people interviewed either agreed or strongly agreed to the statement
that owning a mobile phone is essential for today’s society. The
basis for this opinion was largely due to the mobile phones capacity
to increase accessibility to people, increase safety, being more
personalised and therefore cost effective compared to fixed line
phones and their ability to offer features such as SMS, WAP,
personal organisers, MP3 players etc. However
although there is a perception of mobile phones as being an
important part of our lives and essential in today’s society,
nevertheless in order to understand the reasons behind this belief,
it is vital to gain a greater understanding of the both the positive
and negative effects that mobile phones have had on social
interaction and how these have impacted societies perception. 5.3 –
Positive impact on social interaction 92% of
people interviewed, either agreed or strongly agreed with the
statement that owning a mobile phone has increased their interaction
with people. This statement is further supported by results that
show that 80% of those people either agreed or strongly agreed to
the statement that owning a mobile phone has increased their
contacts and network of friends. Similarly, 80% of people strongly
agreed that owning a mobile phone has allowed them to keep in
greater touch with friends and family. These results clearly show
that mobile phone have had a positive effect on helping to increase
interaction. One of the reasons for this view was seen through
results which showed that 88% of people who were interviewed said
that their biggest reason for owning a mobile phone was due to the
increased accessibility and interaction that it offers and a feature
defined by Ray Oldenburg (cited in (4) )as “a centre without
physical or geographical boundaries”. Similarly, this increased
accessibility and interaction is not just limited to the voice
communication feature offered by mobile phones but is also increased
through very high use of SMS, with results showing that 72% of
people sent between 41-50 SMS messages a week. This method of
communication and interaction is both cost and time effective which
makes it a very popular tool for interaction. 9 key elements of Mobile commerce: Ř
Content Ř Ease of use (easy
navigation within given sites) Ř Portals and search
engines Ř Security and payment Ř Location based
services Ř Low costs of use Ř Timeliness (up to the
minute information) Ř State-of-the-art
handsets Ř
Personalisation of content Information about growth of Mobile phones in various
parts of the world (in million)
The effect of mobile phones on social interaction :- Profile of people interviewed : Average age = 27
Average phone use per week = 2 hours Network choice: Vodafone (40%), BT Cellnet (32%), Orange
(24%) One2One (4%) Choice of tariff: Contract (40%), Pre-paid (40%), All in one
package (20%) 30.
Mobile Commerce & its Future
Mobile
communications and the Internet are expected to be the main drivers
of the European telecommunications industry, and there seems to be
no doubt that they have a high influence in changing the face of future
business. New technologies are emerging and enable novel kinds of
value-added services over wireless broadband connections. The
evolving technologies of mobile
telephony promise outstanding opportunities to Mobile
Operators, Value Added Service Providers and Mobile
Device Vendors as well as every business already in e-commerce
or just examining the options of entering this market. Wireless
access to the Internet is widely available in Japan and throughout
Europe. It will
undoubtedly be the next technology phenomenon in the United States.
The promise of wireless Web service is nothing less than
instant technogratification. It
provides immediate access to up-to-date movie listings and news;
anywhere-anytime access to e-mail; or the ability to check out a
Web site
while traveling. The
growth of mobile e-commerce (m-commerce) will be centered on
financial services, travel and retailing.
Informationweek.com reports that 410 million mobile phones
will be sold worldwide this year, and projects 1 billion mobile
devices will be in use worldwide by 2003.
Vendors are adding wireless capabilities to enterprise
resource planning, customer-relationship management, and other
applications.
WIRELESS STATUS Issue
# 1.
Wireless devices are in their technological infancy regarding
the handling and display of data.
The personal digital assistant devices will inevitably be
merged with cellular phones. Issue
# 2. Wireless
networks were designed for 19 kilobits a second and paging
transmissions. These
networks are less intensive and inadequate for Internet data
transmission. The
federal government will have to establish an over-due single
wireless-transmission standard. Issue
# 3.
Current Web-enabled cellular telephones cannot display Web
sites as they are written, even with the graphics removed.
Cellular phones use a system called WAP, which is
incompatible with the HTML universal language in which Web pages are
written. By contrast,
Japanese Do Co Mo phones use a standard that is a subset of HTML.
Japanese phones can easily display Web page data.
WIRELESS
SECURITY Many
information systems related articles indicate that wireless security
is at least as good as Internet security.
A good example of this security is exhibited by the Suretrade,
Inc. wireless stock-trading system.
The system has three levels of security which are reinforced
by extensive customer education and by technology that catch
aberrant trading patterns. The
first level is on the wireless device.
A trader must enter a user ID and a password, plus a separate
password to execute a trade. The
trade is then encrypted with a license-free, 128-bit symmetric block
cipher called “Blowfish”. The
digitized transmission is sent to W-Trade Technologies, Inc.
servers, which then relay the trade through a virtual private
network to pass the encrypted transmission through Suretrade’s
firewall. Suretrade
selected W-Trade for its ability to support any carrier network, a
key issue in the United States, where wireless networks may be based
on Code Division Multiple Access, Global System for Mobile
Communications, or Time Division Multiple Access technologies.
Finally, Suretrade’s own systems verify the ID and
passwords before the trade’s execution. Wireless
computer technology is literally exploding.
Marketers are standing-by to turn the phone screen into a
tiny mobile billboard flashing come-ons for everything from coffee
shops to dog food. Most
marketing plans are in the testing phase and advertising companies
such as DoubleClick, Inc. and Engage, Inc.
are aggressively working to determine how to approach
consumers without annoying them in the process. The
companies are working to overcome several serious issues.
One involves the cumbersome use of the small buttons on cell
phones. A second issue
is even more serious. Why
would a consumer want to view an advertisement on a phone?
Especially since most people pay for minutes they use on
their cell phones. Are
they willing to spend money to view advertisements?
A third issue deals with security.
Wireless advertising has the potential to cause greater
privacy problems than regular Internet advertising.
Users of the Web on a personal computer have relative
anonymity. However,
wireless service providers know their customer’s names, cell phone
numbers, home or office addresses, and the location from where they
are calling. This
information is a marketer’s dream if the providers decide to share
it with advertisers. The
wireless (mobile) obstacles are serious, but advertisers are very
excited. Since people
have their phones available at all times, marketers will be reaching
their target audiences in a way one never did before.
Data Corporation estimates that there are 75 million cell
phone users in the U.S., compared with 35 million households that
have internet access via a personal computer.
In addition, 24/7 Media Incorporated, an internet advertising
agency in New York, reported a very promising trial in England with
a soccer Web site. Cell
phone users clicked on the advertisement between 5% and 10% of the
time it was shown. The
typical Web site viewed on a personal computer experiences a low 1%
“click through” rate for the typical banner advertisement.
Perhaps discounted calling plans to people who agree to
receive advertising will be the incentive for mobile commerce
success. EUROPEAN
AND JAPANESE ADVANCES The
Europeans and Japanese use their mobile phones like electronic
wallets, purchasing everything form newspapers, wine, parking space,
soft drinks, bank transactions, appliances, and rent payments.
Mobile Commerce in Europe is expected to exceed $45 million
by 2004. The U.S. will
be below $30 million in mobile commerce for that same year.
Thousands of Europeans and Japanese presently receive their
sports scores and stock trading via mobile phones.
They have adapted to cell phones in greater numbers because
they typically travel more frequently in foreign countries that have
varying currency standards and phone standards. U.S.
consumers are not using mobile commerce as much as their foreign
comrades because the U.S. has lagged behind Europe and Asia in
adopting more-powerful digital systems for cellular phone that make
the transactions possible. While
basic mobile commerce services exist in the U.S. today, including
news flashes and weather updates, few customers have signed-up.
Once outdated analog phones in the U.S. are replaced with
digital versions, data messages will be able to be sent to
facilitate commercial transactions.
Deutsche-Telekon AG is buying the U.S. Company, VoiceStream
Wireless Corporation and is planning a major presence in this
country. Mobile
commerce is the next wave of growth in the electronics industry. 31.
Conclusion: India’s Developments. 1.
Siemens AG is increasing the number of software engineers on its
Indian research-and-development team to take advantage of local
software expertise and is putting the group in charge of developing
new mobile broadband applications for worldwide markets. One
hundred additional Indian engineers will join Siemens' 400-member
team of software developers at the company's R&D center in
Bangalore, India, the German electronics company said Wednesday in a
statement. The center will assume global responsibility for
developing applications, such as location-based services and
multimedia messaging, to run over new third-generation (3G) networks
based on Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) technology,
Siemens said. 2.
The Indian mobile phone market, which is growing by about 500,000
new customers each month, could exceed 50 million by 2005, Siemens
said. Slightly more
than 1% of all Indians, or 13 million people, currently own mobile
phones, according to Siemens. The number of users doubled last year
and is expected to increase by 100% again this year, the company
said. 3.
Around twelve
mobile operators that resulted from India’s decision to restrict
the geographical coverage of individual operators have now started
to merge, resulting in the emergence of large national players (see
note 1 below). With only 0.4 % penetration, plenty of room for
growth exists. This
information is like a small droplet in a huge ocean when compared to
the information present in the Information Superhighway. This is how
our country India is slowly and steadily progressing to the peak of
Mobile Commerce and e-procurement. So
let us Indians work together to make India prosperous and rich in
areas of technology. As the great saying goes that “ hard work
never goes in vain ”, our combined effort would make India reach
the peaks of success. *****
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