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TopBackground
The use of mobile devices as a channel to provide governmental services is known as mobile government (m-gov). These devices can be Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), laptops, cellular phones, and tablet PCs. From the viewpoint of e-gov scholars, m-gov is not a unique subject since it has been called a supplement and an extension of e-gov by researchers such as Trimi & Sheng (2008) and Siau and Shen (2003). The mobility and wireless characteristics of mobile technologies have especially encouraged worldwide governments to run m-gov services. However, mobility and wireless characteristics cannot be considered as the only reasons to inspire public organisations. In fact, the daily enhancements and widespread use of mobile technology make mobile devices a more lucrative tool to offer service-based platforms.
The foundation for offering mobile-based services (i.e. mobile commerce) through a mobile technology channel was laid in 1979 (Kim, Chan, & Gupta, 2007), with the introduction of analogue mobile phone technology initially, and then through the gradual evolution from the second to (most recently) the fourth-generation mobile phones, on which the speed of data transformation for HSPA+ as one of the three types of 4G networks is expected to be between four to ten times higher than third generations (Varshney, 2012).
Key Terms in this Chapter
Mobile Government: The use of mobile and wireless communication technologies within government administration to deliver informational and transactional services for the use of government’s stakeholder (e.g. citizens and businesses).
Electronic Government: The government uses of information technology including technologies such as the Internet, Wide Area Networks and mobile computing which have a capability of transforming relations between government and different stakeholders and facilitate delivery of government information and services to their stakeholders.
GSM: European Telecommunication Standard Institute developed a standard set called Global System for Mobile Communications to describe protocols for 2 nd generation digital cellular networks used by mobile phone.
Information System: A set of interconnected components that collect, process, store and distribute information to support decision making and control in organisation is called as an information system.
Security: A feeling and sense of being free from any danger and threat.
Privacy: The state of being free from being observed or disturbed by other people.
Information Technology: The use of computers and telecommunication equipment to store, retrieve, transmit and manipulate data in different organisational context such as business and government agencies.