M-Payments: Research results from SEMOPS EU project presented in Los Angeles

Los Angeles. The European Union project on Secure Mobile Payment Services (SEMOPS) is implementing a cooperation-oriented, transnational universal mobile payment system. Project results from the area of customer acceptance were presented on the Los Angeles Global Mobility Roundtable.

This year, it was Los Angeles' Turn to host the Global Mobility Roundtable, beside the International Conference on Mobile Business the worldwide leading scientific conference for the Mobile Industry, which regularly changes its location between North America, Europe and Asia. The conference was hosted by the University of California in Los Angeles. From the research of the European Union project on Secure Mobile Payment Services (SEMOPS), the study “Acceptance Criteria for Mobile Payment Procedure (MP3)” was presented by Dr. Key Pousttchi, Head of the Mobile Commerce Working Group at the Chair of Business Informatics, University of Augsburg.

For the application of mobile technologies, Europe currently still has a lead of about one year over the US– a lead that used to be double that and is continuously melting. For instance, mobile operators and banks in the US are very interested in the EU project SEMOPS, a universal mobile payment system for payments in e- and m-commerce as well as at a stationary merchant or automat scenario. It is based on end-device independent open standards and relies on a cooperation model between mobile network operators and banks. The technical system was developed since 2002 within an EU project with partners such as T-Mobile, Vodafone and different European banks. Since January 2007, it is in the phase SEMOPS II which comprises test operation in Italy, Greece and Hungary. Parallel to that, mobile payment business models are developed and analyzed by the University of Augsburg. Currently, a European M-Payment Index, a universal „Mobile Payment Business Model Framework” for analysis and development and the extension of the Mobile Payment Reference Model for a transnational system are in the process of development in Augsburg.

In addition to SEMOPS, mobile payments generally find a high interest in the US in the meantime. For instance, the scientific journal „Electronic Commerce Research and Applications” will publish a special issue on m-payment research early 2008. Co-editors will be Professor Rob Kauffman (University of Minnesota) and Professor Elaine Lawrence (University of Technology Sydney), Stamatis Karnouskos (SAP Research) and Key Pousttchi (University of Augsburg) as guest editors. However, inquiries about m-payment research come not only from the US but also from Canada where the three national operators Bell, Rogers and Telus joined to the WPS (Wireless Payment Services) consortium.

In Europe, Spain and recently Belgium show national cooperation models between all mobile operators and major banks. In Germany, an according approach in the course of the “National Roundtable M-Payment” failed two years ago. However, Key Pousttchi did not give up the German market yet: “We have substantially refined our models from 2005 and are optimistic that practical solutions are possible. Most promising would be an approach of a major bank that could present a really good concept.” Although, experts observe quite interesting movements backstage, however, nobody wants to make the final step to the public.

The current status of the m-payment in Germany and Europe will be reviewed on November 15, when the German AK ePayment will hold a meeting in Augsburg in order to learn about the progress of the SEMOPS EU project, and on January 28/29, 2008, when the 8th conference “Mobile Commerce Technology and Applications (MCTA 2008)” will be held – with its 100–200 partcipants since many years a get-together of the relevant experts.

Press Contact:
Dr. Key Pousttchi
Mobile Commerce Working Group (wi-mobile)
Chair of Business Informatics and Systems Engineering
University of Augsburg
86135 Augsburg, Germany
GSM +49 (177) 6319508
key.pousttchi(at)wi-mobile.de
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Informations on the SEMOPS European Union project:
András Vilmos
General Manager
Telefon +36 (1) 212 4321
info(at)semops.com
www.semops.com

The Mobile Commerce Working Group (acronym: wi-mobile) is concerned with applications of mobile communication technologies. Founded in 2001 at the Chair of Business Informatics and Systems Engineering, University of Augsburg, Germany, it is a modern-type research group which integrates research, consulting projects and teaching. Special research priorities are on mobile payment/mobile banking, mobile marketing, mobile business processes and value creation relationships in mobile markets. Head of the group is Dr. Key Pousttchi.

Website:
http://www.wi-mobile.org

This release was published on openPR.