Summary and Conclusion

We outlined the key differentiators of m-business, the experience/function parameters that set m-offerings apart from e-business.

For true value adding, m-business offerings should also take advantage of new m-business network services that can seamlessly handle many of the service features, thus freeing the business adopter and the end user in the field from the burden of constantly dealing with the challenges of designing, redesigning, configuring, integrating, upgrading, troubleshooting, maintaining, and billing for m-service offerings. This is what will create the true value of m-business for 3G/UMTS wireless operators. For business users, we presented a number of m-business service offerings that take advantage of new wireless network capabilities (based on new and evolving network infrastructures). Finally, we offered an approach to add value and differentiate m-service offerings so that they continue to remain profitable businesses. This requires a concerted effort on the part of service providers to understand their customers' business needs and the ability of the providers to offer an evolving m-business solution for these needs. It is difficult to foretell what exact service mixes would take off. Service providers, for example, may end up giving free 3G terminals/ handsets to business customers (and maybe even to the customer's customers) in order to support highly profitable services. The alternative to developing high-value network-enabled services may be sinking into "the commodity trap," where ever lower prices rule, and profitability virtually evaporates.