7.4 M-Commerce

M-commerce (or mobile e-commerce or wireless commerce) is a set of services and applications operating in mobile wireless networks that allow consumer-oriented transactions and business transactions to be performed via mobile devices. In its simplest form, m-commerce can be considered an integration of e-commerce and wireless web. M-commerce services and applications rely on the underlying converging wireless infrastructure to deliver information and to enable interaction with high reliability and security. In addition, enterprise information systems must be optimized to serve mobile transactions. Parties involved in this supply chain include mobile service providers, content providers, financial institutes, and mobile users.

M-commerce is set to take off as a result of the widespread use of cell phones, wireless-enabled PDAs, and smart phones, and there is an obvious need for real-time, ubiquitous mobile access on these mobile devices. Consider the success of e-commerce on the Internet. Despite the Internet bubble, e-commerce has become a hugely profitable business sector. Business to client (B2C) services such as online shopping and online investment have seen amazing growth. Business to business (B2B) and business to employee (B2E) applications continue to gain substantial ground in many companies as a way to improve productivity and reduce operational cost. With the proliferation of mobile devices and ubiquitous mobile access, it would be quite reasonable to expect a dramatic growth of m-commerce services and applications.