Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Technology Needed for Mobile Commerce
For m-commerce to work effectively, the interface between the wireless device and its user
must improve to the point that it is nearly as easy to purchase an item on a wireless device
as it is to purchase it on a PC. In addition, network speed must improve so that users do not
become frustrated. Security is also a major concern, particularly in two areas: the security of
the transmission itself and the trust that the transaction is being made with the intended
party. Encryption can provide secure transmission. Digital certificates, discussed later in this
chapter, can ensure that transactions are made between the intended parties.
The handheld devices used for m-commerce have several limitations that complicate their
use. Their screens are small, perhaps no more than a few square inches, and might be able to
display only a few lines of text. Their input capabilities are limited to a few buttons, so entering
data can be tedious and error prone. They also have less processing power and less bandwidth
than desktop computers, which are usually hardwired to a high-speed LAN. They also operate
on limited-life batteries. For these reasons, it is currently impossible to directly access many
Web sites with a handheld device. Web developers must rewrite Web applications so that
users with handheld devices can access them.
To address the limitations of wireless devices, the industry has undertaken a standard-
ization effort for their Internet communications. The Wireless Application Protocol (WAP)
is a standard set of specifications for Internet applications that run on handheld, wireless
devices. It effectively serves as a Web browser for such devices. WAP is a key underlying
technology of m-commerce that is supported by an entire industry association of over 200
vendors of wireless devices, services, and tools. In the future, devices and service systems based
on WAP and its derivatives (including WAP 2.0 and Wireless Internet Protocol) will be able
to interoperate. Japan's largest wireless network provider, DoCoMo, developed a competing
standard called the i-mode system.
For equipment and service providers, the existence of competing standards makes it
much more difficult to meet the needs of their customers. In many cases, the providers must
develop their services or products based on one standard and forfeit the market for customers
who elect to adopt the competing standard. Of course, multiple standards also create prob-
lems for customers who must make a decision on which set of services and equipment to
adopt. Early adopters may find to their dismay that they have chosen a standard that falls
out of favor.
WAP uses the Wireless Markup Language (WML), which is designed for effectively
displaying information on small devices. A user with a WAP-compliant device uses the
built-in microbrowser to make a WML request. The request is forwarded to a special WAP
gateway to fetch the information from the appropriate Internet server. If the information is
already in WML format, it can be passed from the Internet server through the gateway directly
to the user's device. If the information is in HTML format, the gateway translates the HTML
content into WML so it can be displayed on the user's device.
Electronic Payment Systems
Electronic payment systems are a key component of the e-commerce infrastructure. Current
e-commerce technology relies on user identification and encryption to safeguard business
transactions. Actual payments are made in a variety of ways, including electronic cash, elec-
tronic wallets, and smart, credit, charge, and debit cards. Web sites that accept multiple
payment types convert more visitors to purchasing customers than merchants who offer only
a single payment method.
Authentication technologies are used by many organizations to confirm the identity of a
user requesting access to information or assets. A digital certificate is an attachment to an
e-mail message or data embedded in a Web site that verifies the identity of a sender or
Web site. A certificate authority (CA) is a trusted third-party organization or company that
issues digital certificates. The CA is responsible for guaranteeing that the people or organi-
zations granted these unique certificates are, in fact, who they claim to be. Digital certificates
thus create a trust chain throughout the transaction, verifying both purchaser and supplier
identities.
digital certificate
An attachment to an e-mail
message or data embedded in a Web
site that verifies the identity of a
sender or Web site.
certificate authority (CA)
A trusted third-party organization or
company that issues digital
certificates.
 
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