Deployment and Success Factors for the Mobile Internet: A Case Study Approach

Background

For the purposes of this research MI is defined as the part of the current Internet that can be accessed from a mobile device connected to a mobile data network (Ghosh, Wolter, Andrews, & Chen, 2005; Roberts & Kempf, 2006). Another term often used when discussing Internet access via mobile and wireless networks is ‘anywhere Internet’ implying universal Internet coverage, and also the ability to access the Internet regardless of the availability of a stationary computer (e.g. out of the office or the home). Even though universal coverage of fixed-line Internet (extending the communication media to each household or individual user) has not been achieved yet (Webb, 1998) with mobile data networks supporting individual user access to the Internet anywhere within their coverage, ‘mobility’ has emerged as second dimension of the anywhere Internet. Finally a third dimension related to ‘responsiveness’ identified in (Cho & Sung, 2007): the network supporting user ability to reply immediately to email and instant messages. The working definition of MI formulated above implies that MI provides a connection to the Internet to users already connected to a mobile data network meeting user demand for mobility and responsiveness, and to a large extent – for coverage, with a focus on the individual user.