Exercise 15: M-ecommerce: innovation and Mobile devices

In this age of significant telecommunications competition, mobile network operators continuously seek new and innovative ways to create differentiation and increase profits. One of the best ways to do accomplish this is through the delivery of highly personalized services. One of the most powerful ways to personalize mobile services is based on location. We will discuss Location Based Services (LBS), but we will first discuss the basis of LBS - location technology

One of the most obvious technologies behind LBS is positioning, with the most widely recognized system being the Global Positioning System (GPS). There are however, other means of positioning in addition to GPS. These other technologies are network based positioning and typically rely on various means of triangulation of the signal from cell sites serving a mobile phone. In addition, the serving cell site can be used as a fix for location of the user.

Location Management Function

There must be a location management function to process positioning and GIS data on behalf of LBS applications. The location management function acts as a gateway and mediator between positioning equipment and LBS infrastructure.

Services

Location based information: One of the best ways to personalize information services is to enable them to be location based. An example would be someone using their Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) based phone to search for a restaurant. The LBS application would interact with other location technology components to determine the user's location and provide a list of restaurants within a certain proximity to the mobile user.

Location based billing: The ability to have preferential billing is provided by this type of application. Through location based billing, the user can establish personal zones such as a home zone or work zone. Through arrangements with the serving wireless carrier, the user could perhaps enjoy flat-rate calling while in the home area and special rates while in other defined zones. This type of application can be especially useful when use in conjunction with other mobile applications such as prepaid wireless.

Describe the purpose of the Open Mobile Alliance Initiative

The Open Mobile Alliance Ltd. has been established by the consolidation of the WAP Forum and the Open Mobile Architecture Initiative. The new Open Mobile Alliance is a group of companies and organizations, with a commitment to a shared set of principles, who have come together to drive the growth of the mobile industry. It intends to grow the market for the entire industry by removing barriers to interoperability and supporting a seamless and easy-to-use mobile experience for end users.

The mission of the Open Mobile Alliance is to grow the market for the entire mobile industry by removing the barriers to global user adoption and by ensuring seamless application interoperability while allowing businesses to compete through innovation and differentiation.

Main component of a Mobile Web service Framework:

Web service is tools, which are public on internet and provide some services or special services such as checking user personalities or banking. In term of, web service give some functions to use through the web.

The basic Web services platform is XML + HTTP.

XML provides a language which can be used between different platforms and programming languages and still express complex messages and functions.

The HTTP protocol is the most used Internet protocol.

Web services platform elements:

•SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol)
•UDDI (Universal Description, Discovery and Integration)
•WSDL (Web Services Description Language)

Web Services have Two Types of Uses

Reusable application-components.

There are things applications need very often. So why make these over and over again?

Web services can offer application-components like: currency conversion, weather reports, or even language translation as services.

Connect existing software.

Web services can help to solve the interoperability problem by giving different applications a way to link their data.

With Web services you can exchange data between different applications and different platforms.

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References:

Web service Tutorial, W3C, retrieved 17/10/2009 from http://www.w3schools.com/webservices/

Hyacinth S. Nwana, Cambridge University Press, 1996, Software angent overview, retrieved 17/10/2009 from http://agents.umbc.edu/introduction/ao/