Opportunities in M-CommerceStandards & Applications

Nour El Kadri

University of Ottawa

M-Commerce

• M-commerce: The use of the Internet for purchasing goods and services and also for transmitting messages using wireless mobile devices

• Mobile computing: Enables internet-enabled cell phones, PDAs, and other wireless computing devices to access digital information on the Internet from any location

Wireless Network Standards

The Institute of Electrical and Electronics The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) established a hierarchy of Engineers (IEEE) established a hierarchy of complementary standards for wireless complementary standards for wireless computer networks. computer networks.

Global Wireless Network Standards: • IEEE 802.15 (Bluetooth) for the Personal Area

Network (PAN)

• IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi) for the Local Area Network (LAN)

Wireless Network Standards

• IEEE 802.16 (WiMax) for the Metropolitan Area Network (MAN)

• IEEE 802.20 (proposed) standard for the Wide Area Network (WAN)

Bluetooth

• Can link up to 8 devices in 10-m area

• Low power requirements

WiFi

• Three standards: 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g

• Infrastructure mode: Devices use access point to communicate with wired network

• Ad-hoc mode (peer-to-peer): Wireless devices communicate directly with each other

An 802.11 Wireless LAN

M-Commerce Revenue

Source: Copyright 2005 Jupitermedia Corporation.

Digital Payment Systems and M-Commerce

• Micropayment system– Individual service providers run their own

separate payment systems– Small payments added on to single bill

• Stored payment system– Cell phone equipped with smart card storing

rechargeable electronic cash

• Mobile Wallets (m-Wallets): Store personal data to use in online transactions

Wireless Applications for Wireless Applications for Customer Relationship Customer Relationship

ManagementManagement

Wireless CRM enables sales and field service professionals to:

• Access customer account records and information at any time or location

Wireless Applications for Customer Relationship Management

• Update customer accounts and deal information to update customer database instantaneously

• Receive alerts to important events

• Enter, perform, and update transactions and product information

Pitney Bowes’s Wireless CRM System

Wireless Supply Chain Management (SCM) and Radio Frequency

Identification (RFID)

• Wireless supply chain management systems: Provide simultaneous accurate information about demand, supply, production, and logistics as goods move among supply chain partners

• Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) systems: Provide a powerful technology for tracking the movement of goods throughout the supply chain

How RFID Works

Wireless in Health CareWireless in Health Care

Wireless Applications:

• Electronic Medical Record (EMR) retrieval

• Wireless note taking for patient charts

• Lab test results

• Prescription generation

• Medical databases

Wireless Sensor Networks and Pervasive Computing

• Wireless sensor networks (WSNs): Networks of interconnected wireless devices that are embedded into the physical environment to provide measurements of many points over large spaces

Wireless Sensor Networks and Pervasive Computing

• Pervasive computing: Wireless

technologies are pushing computing

into every facet of life, including cars,

homes, office buildings, tools and

factories; providing connections

anywhere and anytime.

Wireless Sensor Network

Management OpportunitiesManagement Opportunities

• Wireless technology offers:

• Flexible business processes

• Business processes not limited by time or space

• New channel for communicating with client

• Source of new products and services

Management ChallengesManagement Challenges

• Integrating wireless technology into the firm’s IT infrastructure

• Maintaining security and privacy

Solution GuidelinesSolution Guidelines

The following are some of the guidelines for managing mobile technology in the enterprise:

• Identifying areas in which wireless can provide value

• Creating a management framework for wireless technology

• Using a pilot program before full-scale rollout of wireless systems