Page 155 - DCAP307_PLANNING_AND_MANAGING_IT_INFRASTRUCTURE

Unit 9: Mobile Commerce

generation e-commerce, m-commerce enables users to access the Internet without needing to Notes
find a place to plug in.

9.1 Concept of M-Commerce

M-commerce (mobile commerce) is the buying and selling of goods and services through wireless
handheld devices such as cellular telephone and personal digital assistants (PDAs). Known as
next-generation e-commerce, m-commerce enables users to access the Internet without needing
to find a place to plug in. The emerging technology behind m-commerce, which is based on the
Wireless Application Protocol (WAP), has made far greater strides in Europe, where mobile
devices equipped with Web-ready micro-browsers are much more common than in the United
States.

In order to exploit the m-commerce market potential, handset manufacturers are working with
carriers such as AT&T Wireless and Sprint to develop WAP-enabled smart phones, the industry’s
answer to the Swiss Army Knife, and ways to reach them.

Example: Handset manufacturers include Nokia, Ericsson, Motorola, and Qualcomm.
Using Bluetooth technology, smart phones offer fax, e-mail, and phone capabilities all in one,
paving the way for m-commerce to be accepted by an increasingly mobile workforce.

As content delivery over wireless devices becomes faster, more secure, and scalable, there is
wide speculation that m-commerce will surpass wireline e-commerce as the method of choice
for digital commerce transactions. The industries affected by m-commerce include:

Financial services, which includes mobile banking (when customers use their handheld devices
to access their accounts and pay their bills) as well as brokerage services, in which stock quotes
can be displayed and trading conducted from the same handheld device.
Telecommunications, in which service changes, bill payment and account reviews can all
be conducted from the same handheld device.
Service/retail, as consumers are given the ability to place and pay for orders on-the-fly
Information services, which include the delivery of financial news, sports figures and
traffic updates to a single mobile device.

Did u know? What is personal digital assistant?
PDA (personal digital assistant) is a term for any small mobile hand-held device that provides
computing and information storage and retrieval capabilities for personal or business use.

9.1.1 Advantages of M-Commerce

The following list summarises the advantages of m-commerce:

1. Ubiquity: The use of wireless device enables the user to receive information and conduct
transactions anywhere, at anytime.
2. Accessibility: Mobile device enables the user to be contacted at virtually anytime and
place. The user also has the choice to limit their accessibility to particular persons or times.
3. Convenience: The portability of the wireless device and its functions from storing data to
access to information or persons.

LOVELY PROFESSIONAL UNIVERSITY 149