Preparing for
m-commerce

Wireless communications will play a big role in the future of e-business—so network managers should start getting up to speed with key technology issues now.

An addict will always do whatever it takes to get hold of his or her drug of choice. Today’s information junkies and workaholics are no exception. Digital Age knowledge workers have become tremendously dependent on networked information and communications resources—which means they’ll do just about anything to make their connections, anywhere and anytime they feel the urge.

That’s why the wireless e-business market is starting to heat up. The mobile variation on the e-commerce theme—otherwise known as m-commerce—is going to become a major focus for the communication industry in the years to come. That’s why network managers who have shied away from getting involved in it need to make some initial moves. Otherwise, their companies will get caught flat-footed when m-commerce really takes off.

First, network managers should understand that m-commerce is actually an amalgamation of several different market segments. One way to look at the overall picture is to divide it into three basic areas:

1. the use of mobile technology to support internal business operations, such as field technicians, territorial sales forces, and on-the-go executives;

2. the extension of extranet and e-business services to mobile devices as an enhancment of B2B strategies that may touch customers, suppliers and other business partners; and

3. the extension of Web-based consumer services to the rapidly growing population of “smart” phone users.

If you don’t have a clear sense of how your company’s business objectives can specifically be fulfilled in each of these areas, you won’t be able to make smart technology decisions. Let’s take a look at each of these segments and consider some of the possibilities.

INTERNAL MOBILITY

This is probably the most common form of mobility now in use. From your UPS driver’s digital tablet to your resident geek’s Palm VII, wireless networked devices are already being implemented for a variety of functions. Driving issues here are productivity and avoiding lost opportunities. No one wants to miss that important e-mail or fax, so they’re using laptops and personal digital assistants (PDAs) to stay in touch.

The big question for network managers here is how they are going to manage the proliferating number of devices, as more and more internal users feel the need to have network access from trains, planes and automobiles. Security issues will also loom large, as valuable corporate data starts traversing the airwaves.

MOBILE B2B

Many companies are just starting to get their B2B acts together. The mobile web will prevent the weary from getting any rest, as IT departments have to add support for wireless interactions as a competitive requirement. The same customers who want to check on order status from their PCs, for example, will want to be able to do it from their PDAs eventually, too.

In addition to security and infrastructure issues, a major consideration for this market segment will be the redesign of Web interface to accommodate PDAs’ smaller screen sizes and clumsy input features. Also, unlike the internal user population, IT will not have any control over the diversity of devices being used by B2B customers. Developers will have to cope with multiple platforms—including PalmOS and Microsoft’s Windows CE.

CONSUMERS

You’re on a long road trip with the kids and they’re starting to whine. You hit a few keys on the carphone and—voila!—you find out there’s a McDonald’s four miles ahead.

The consumer m-commerce market segment promises to become an interesting one, as digital handsets are enabled with some form of Web access. The researchers at International Data Corporation, in fact, predict that all handsets manufactured in 2001 will be equipped with wireless application protocol (WAP) functionality. Plus, many will combine that functionality with global positioning system (GPS) capabilities—enabling the type of scenario described above.

The technical issues here will be similar to those in other m-commerce market segments, with display/interface considerations becoming even stickier because of the limitation of smart-phone screens. Just as challenging will be the business issues, as companies try to figure out what kinds of services they can offer and how they’re going to charge for them.

IT and network managers who want to start working out a corporate m-commerce strategy should keep two points in mind. One is the potential impact of wireless broadband services. Right now, most technologies are limited to a paltry 14.4 kbps of throughput. But that could change in a hurry, thereby enabling much more robust wireless applications.

Another factor to consider is the availability of wireless application hosting services. These service providers offer corporate IT the ability to offload the whole burden of WAP-enabling their existing Web applications, which could mean faster time-to-market and lower development costs. If you’re not sure you want to gear up for a big wireless implementation effort, don’t worry. There are going to be plenty of vendors ready to solve the whole problem for you on a turnkey basis. Then your only problem will be making sure you find the right partner for your needs—and cost-justifying their service fees with your CFO.