D11.3: Economic aspects of mobility and identity

Title: INTRODUCTION

Looking at the market environment, several players could be identified in the mobile market. Among others, device manufacturers, infrastructure manufacturers, network operators, mobile virtual network operators, service providers, content providers, and customers can be listed, all of whom play a major role in the process of value creation in this market. Furthermore, these players can be put into value chains, which are suitable for illustrating value-adding activities among the individual players. An example for a value chain for the mobile business market, integrating the players listed before, was suggested by Picot and Neuburger and is visualised in the following figure: 

Figure : Mobile Value Creation: The Mobile Value Chain

For the analysis undertaken here, the focus will be put on a limited number of players, resulting in a simplified value chain. The players involved here include the (1.) mobile operator, (2.) the service provider (e.g. for LBS applications and services) and (3.) the users/customers. This is due to the following reasons:

1. In this context it can be assumed that these players have the highest impact on the trust building and a possible (non-) adoption of a newly introduced service from a customer’s point of view. 

2. The mobile operator and the service providers are the players, who are (directly/indirectly) involved with the customers/users. Accordingly, it can be assumed that they have an interest in understanding the mechanisms that lead to trust building (see Chapter ) and the adoption of their services (see Chapter ).

To this regard, this chapter discusses the mechanisms in the market of mobile applications, the use of MIdM technology and the relevant economic theories from the customers’ point of view. This should help to better understand the adoption and trust building mechanisms of customers using such mobile services (e.g. friend finder applications), in order to better understand the customers’ choices for using/not using mobile applications and services. To this regard, attitudes and behavioural elements are important aspects to explain the acceptance of technologies, such as mobile services using MIdM technology (cf. ). The relevant theories in this field are:

1.  (Chapter )

2.  (Chapter )

3.  (Chapter )

4.  (Chapter )

Resulting from this understanding of the relevant mechanisms, the opportunity is offered to better tailor such services to the actual needs of the targeted group.

Figure : General Model of Technology Acceptance

Figure : Schematics of the trust development life cycle