Mobile News

The ability to send and receive text messages has catalysed the introduction of mobile banking services. Although SMS is a bearer technology and WAP a protocol, the use of SMS for mobile banking services is significant. As a person to person-centric service it both draws upon the existing handset base and acclimatises users to m-commerce functionality. Given the expectancy surrounding WAP it is vital that SMS-based banking is viewed as more than just a preliminary solution. For example, the boom in mobile-to-mobile traffic presages an increase in application-driven SMS usage. Although bottleneck-prone delivery can undermine its suitability as an m-commerce enabler, software application could prioritise messages. SMS-WAP migration solutions are important to less developed markets: Comverse Network Systems has introduced a product called Open.SMS that enables SMS access to the internet, albeit incorporating crude browser-type functionality. As SMS evolves into multimedia messaging it will play a crucial role in educating the user about mobile data. SMS solutions launched core mobile banking services and should not be overlooked as specifications and protocols continue to evolve.