05.15.06
Possibilities for E-commerce … with mobile networks
So here I am in the hill country. No computer just me and nature. Suddenly I realise that I need to check my mail. I dash to my hotel and ask them about their rates. I’m sure they figured that I was not going to use their internet when they saw my jaw drop. So what next ? Pulled out my cell phone configured my pop settings and connected up to my provider’s gprs. I expected to be drumming my fingers for a good ten minutes. A few seconds later my phone does a small chirp and voila there is the email that I’ve been waiting for! Later on in the day as I traveled around I noticed that there was a strong penetration of mobile phones in the region. Every 4th person seemed to have a unit. While everyone talks about penetration and last mile connectivity why not use whats available? Why not use gprs, edge or EV DO modems for connectivity in there areas ? One could use their present mobile phone sim with these modems. Of course you wouldn’t do huge downloads but one could facilitate E commerce transactions such as ordering spare parts, up loading pictures of products or even checking their bank balance. Maybe I’m being naive but if its there why not use it, right ?
ict4peace said,
May 15, 2006 at 4:33 am
Interesting post that echoes ideas I’ve been talking about for a while – see http://ict4peace.wordpress.com/
Cheers,
Sanjana
childof25 said,
May 15, 2006 at 6:48 am
I love the coverage we have in SL, once spent a month at a research station in Agrapatana, had no electricity in a pretty isolated place but had cell phone reception! Was able to chat to people in the UK from the middle of nowhere…would have been even cooler if i could have paid my bills from there!
ict4peace said,
May 15, 2006 at 7:08 am
Childof25,
Agree – it’s been fantastic to see just how much the coverage and connectivity has improved, largely on account of competition, over the past couple of years.
Now if only the call charges would come down !
Sanjana
Janin said,
May 15, 2006 at 8:39 am
Think of all the extra revenue Dialog could make by charging us for the bandwidth – Their is an incentive if anybody from Dialog / Mobitel / Celltell is reading this. You don’t need to make the data pipes from the base stations that large more users will simply have to wait longer for their data but all users will get their data eventually for which you can bill them !!
ict4peace said,
May 15, 2006 at 9:40 am
“Think of all the extra revenue Dialog could make by charging us for the bandwidth”
Sri Lanka is perverse Janin – we seem to charge people for using a service more as opposed to the more sensible way of making a service cheaper so that revenue is brought in by the volume of users.
You’re spot on about a profit motive as an incentive, though I’d argue that the current business models need serious revision in light of new technologies of access and the usage patterns they promote.
Sanjana
alcott said,
June 12, 2006 at 3:36 am
Nice site. Thank to work…
James Caffrey in Costa Del Sol Spain said,
September 22, 2006 at 8:30 pm
I am sure todays analog and 3g networks are gradually going to die out and be replaced with an updated version of todays WiFi. Every transmitter site will be like a wifi hot spot. I already have a wifi voip telephone that is the same size as a mobile phone. The networks already have the transmitter sites, the cost probably won’t be that scary??!