Mobile Government (mGovernment) is a major tool that would support the establishment of Smart Government - participation-driven and making every citizen accountable for various government policies and procedures. With mobile penetration crossing hundred percent in many European countries, the best way to initiate participation-driven government is the use of mobile technologies. Various mobile technologies such as cellular technologies, location-based technologies, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth offer an unmatched platform, for enabling participation-based government.
New analysis from Frost & Sullivan "mGovernment in Europe: Services for Citizens and Opportunities for the Mobile Industry", finds that accelerated shift toward participation-based government, increased penetration of mobile phones, evolving alternative mobile technologies, wider involvement of mobile industry participants and greater awareness created by governments are generating considerable potential for mobile industry participants in the mGovernment market. A number of pilots have been conducted in countries such as Germany, Sweden, Estonia and Netherlands. The results have been encouraging and appreciated by citizens and mobile industry participants.
“Smart Government – defined as the use of communication technologies to improve government initiatives – has evolved with the inclusion of mobile technologies,” notes Frost & Sullivan Research Analyst Jayashree Rajagopal. “While Internet has been a major tool in fostering smart Government recently, it is mGovernment that has emerged as a more effective and inclusive platform.”
mGovernment services are leveraging the increasing number of applications and services being offered by mobile industry participants to enable access to government information, anytime and anywhere. mGovernment is seen as complementing existing eGovernment initiatives. However, both these tools need to develop simultaneously to improve the efficiency of government systems.
mGovernment services in Europe will be challenged by the digital divide and the lack of proper regulatory and security standards for communication. The existence of digital divide in almost all countries of Europe will limit participation to citizens who have access to mobile technology, while the absence of clear and common regulations and standards will hinder the secure transfer of information across networks.
“To ensure collective success, there is a need for uniform regulations that would bring disparate mGovernment initiatives within a country under a common platform,” states Ms Rajagopal. “To successfully incorporate ICT into governance, it is necessary to create an identity for each citizen - this will help governments develop solutions that will address all citizens, while enabling effective resource utilisation.”
Greater awareness and cost-effective solutions will be necessary for the effective adoption of mGovernment services. Once mGovernment solutions are implemented, all citizens should be educated that these services are the best options to promote two-way communication between citizens and their governments.
Governments need to invest in mGovernment initiatives and establish proper standards for implementation to encourage the participation of all market participants. In regions where cellular technologies are not effective, alternative mobile technologies such as Wi-Fi should be utilised.
“mGovernment services across all major European countries should be brought into the push zone,” counsels Ms Rajagopal. “For instance, if a citizen files their income tax returns on the Internet, an update can be sent to their mobile number. This will make citizens understand the convenience of the technology, while motivating them to look for similar services.”
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Autor(en)/Author(s): Joanna Lewandowska
Quelle/Source: PRLog, 12.05.2011
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