Mobile Commerce: An Expectation for the Mobile Users In Pakistan

Mobile commerce is electronic commerce over wireless devices. Mobile commerce refers to transactions using a wireless device and data connection that result in the transfer of value in exchange for information, services, or goods. Mobile commerce, facilitated generally by mobile phones, includes services such as banking, payment, and ticketing. Analysts say that close to 50% of all e-commerce will be mobile and the projections are staggering.

There are three basic types of m-commerce transactions. The first is carrier-based; using a carrier's billing system to purchase something with a wireless device. This method lets the user bill their purchase to their monthly carrier bill (or deduct it from their pre-paid deposit). The second type of mobile commerce transaction involves using a credit card over a wireless network connection. In this type of transaction, the user has securely stores their credit card data on their mobile phone, using their cell phone as a surrogate credit card. The third type of m-commerce transaction involves financial services. These transactions include activities such as transferring money between accounts or paying bills through a wireless transaction.

If these things are going to happen in Pakistan then the expectation of mobile users will be more to their service providers and then people will prefer to those service providers which are offering differentiated product and m-commerce facilities. There are a lot of benefits of m-commerce to conduct a financial transaction while mobile are considerable. As soon as phones and point-of-purchase systems are Bluetooth-enabled, almost everything and anything becomes possible. For example, a group of friends are having a drink and decide to take in a movie. They browse through the local entertainment service, decide which one they want to see, take a look at the seating plan, select the best free seats and purchase the tickets. The transaction is stored in the mobile, so when they arrive at the cinema there is no need to queue; the purchaser merely points his/her phone at the checkpoint and through they all go and enjoy their movie.

But when it will get hype then security will be the primary concern over public networks for the mobile users. There is an obvious security distinction between a short-range, Bluetooth transaction and one made over the public network. The former represents the wireless equivalent of swiping a credit- or bankcard; it is virtually impossible to monitor this type of transaction and the information content is worthless. Information sent over a public resource can be monitored, so the best way of ensuring that the transaction is totally secure is to make this type of content equally worthless. This can be done in various ways; in fact there are so many ways and so many acronyms (PKI, X.509, SSL, WTLS, RSA, etc.) that one can only conclude that a few of them simply must work. This perception will reinforce by the involvement of credit card companies, banks, and other financial institutions.

Many countries are experiencing m-commerce and generating decent revenue through m-commerce, in the list of these countries I want to share the success of m-commerce in Japan.

In Japan, however, m-commerce has been a huge success, accounting for over $400 million in revenues each year. Through NTT DoCoMo's popular i-mode service, subscribers can buy sodas from vending machines, purchase food at fast food restaurants, and shop at Internet retailers like Amazon.com, buying all their good through DoCoMo's billing system. Other companies, like Visa, also offer m-commerce services in Japan.

By the success of m-commerce in many developed countries in the world, I hope that Pakistan will also benefit from m-commerce and there are lots of expectations from m-commerce in Pakistan. So, if m-commerce will execute in Pakistan then it will create convince for the trade world because through m-commerce they can make transactions like banking, payments, ticketing & much much more.

Ahmed Saleem, Marketing Management Student, Currently Doing BBA from Mohammad Ali Jinnah University Islamabad Pakistan, One of the Leading Institue in Business Admininstration & Computer Sciences in Pakistan.