Governance of flexible mobile service platforms

Development of advanced mobile Internet services requires flexible service platforms. Every service offering needs generic functionalities like security, billing and customer data management. Such functionalities used to be integrated in the mobile network infrastructure but are now offered by competing service platforms. Future service platforms might be offered by operators but can also be embedded in the mobile phone or at the systems of the service providers. Studying flexibility of service platforms requires technological as well as strategic analysis, and should take into account the perspective of multiple stakeholders. Where to locate service platforms is not just a technological matter as it greatly influences flexibility of both service providers and end-users. This paper analyzes how various service platform technologies that are located at operators, mobile phone and service providers influence flexibility. We find that no single service platform offers superior flexibility to both service providers and end-users.

► Advanced mobile Internet services require flexible service platforms.
► Service platforms at operators, mobile devices and service providers are compared.
► Both technologies and strategic interests of stakeholders are analyzed.
► Service platforms greatly influence flexibility of service providers and end-users.
► No single platform offers superior flexibility to both service providers and end-users.