Mobile Commerce: Introduction, Framework, and Models

What is mobile commerce?

The term Mobile , commerce has been used to describe a variety of transactions conducted through mobile devices connected through the wireless network.

Wireless networks like GSM, GPRS, TDMA, CDMA, and UMTS enable the mobile device user to access a variety information stored on databases on connectivity providers, other service providers, and information providers, including information stored on web servers. In the context of this discussion, mobile devices refer to all such devices that connect to wireless networks and are capable of accessing, interacting, answering and displaying the information on the screen.

The term mobile device is used here to refer to devices like: Cellular phones.

hand-held computers such as palmtops, tablets PCs, etc. Messaging/pager devices Laptop computers Personal digital assistants (PDAs) These mobile devices typically operate in an environment where bandwidth is still a major constraint and the buffer/internal storage capabilities are still limited. But, with advances taking place in a technology arena, today it is possible to transmit multimedia information over the wireless network and display them on mobile devices. This has put mobile devices to a variety of usages in addition to voice communication. Peer-to-peer messaging service has emerged as a very common application in the form of SMS and MMS.

In a bandwidth limited environment, the messaging service has been extended successfully for inquiring and accessing the information from a variety of databases. Ex the Indian Railway System provides a mobile device user with the facility of enquiring regarding of train arrivals/departures, reservation status, and other similar information. In a web based system the client, through the wired locations, can carry out all the same tasks as long as the information/databases were available over the connected network.

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