Evolution of Mobile Commerce Applications

Abstract

The tremendous growth in mobile communications has affected our lives significantly. The mobile phone is now pervasive and used in virtually every sector of human activity—private, business, and government. Its usage is not restricted to making basic phone calls; instead, digital content, products, and services are offered. Among them, mobile commerce (m-commerce) holds a very important and promising position. M-commerce can be defined as: using mobile technology to access the Internet through a wireless device such as a cell phone or a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), in order to sell or buy items (products or services), conduct a transaction, and perform supply-chain or demand-chain functions (Adams, 2001). Within the context of the present study, we shall examine widespread used and emerging m-commerce services, from early ones (i.e., SMS [Short Message Service]) to innovative (i.e., mobile banking and specific products offered by known suppliers). We shall also investigate some important factors for the development of m-commerce, as well as some existing risks. Particular emphasis is given to the issue of collaboration among the key-players for developing standardization, interoperability, and security, and for obtaining market penetration.