Chapter Nine: Mobile Computing and Commerce
ONLINE FILE W9.1
EC Application
I-MODE i-mode is to mobile portals what eBay is to auction sites, Amazon.com is to online retailing, and Google is to search engines. It has been extremely successful in the large Japanese cellular phone market and closely scrutinized for keys to its success. i-mode was developed by Japan’s telecommunications giant Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (NTT) and is controlled by NTT’s DoCoMo (DoCoMo means “everywhere” in Japanese). As of September 2004, there were 42 million i-mode users in Japan and 3 million in other countries, mostly Europe. i-mode users can send and receive e-mail as well as SMS text messages. i-mode users also have access to the Web and can visit Web sites that offer video games, news and weather reports, train schedules, city maps, ringtone melodies, event ticketing, and much, much more. Entertainment services have proven to be the most popular; downloadable wallpaper images and ringtones for mobile phones have been the most profitable for content providers (Krishnamurthy 2001). One aspect of i-mode that has drawn considerable interest from other mobile portal operators is the distinction between official and unofficial Web sites. Official Web sites, as approved by DoCoMo, are easily accessible to users; any charges incurred when visiting or using the site appear on the individual’s monthly i-mode bill. Unofficial sites can only be accessed if the user hears about it from outside i-mode; the URL must be entered manually; and these sites must establish separate payment arrangements or make money in other ways. The official i-mode Web sites, 83,000 of them as of September 2004, are a large revenue generator for DoCoMo; thus the strong interest of other mobile portal operators. What are the reasons for i-mode’s success? First is its strong connection with NTT. NTT owns an advanced packetswitched network that was made available to DoCoMo. NTT has a strong brand position in Japan, and its NTT connections gave DoCoMo the clout it needed to form partnerships with handset manufacturers. Second is the nature of the wired versus wireless Internet access market in Japan. Japan has a relatively low level of PC penetration and a high level of mobile phone penetration. Also, PC-based Internet access is billed by the minute, making it much more expensive than the one-price-for-unlimited-access
model used in most other countries. Both factors favor wireless communications services over wired rivals in the Japanese market. Third, NTT DoCoMo has partnered with official outside providers to deliver content and services to customers. This is a win-win arrangement for both DoCoMo and the content providers. NTT DoCoMo makes its profits from the traffic on its network and the 9 percent commission from transaction charges on its billing system. Partners get privileged access to a large customer base and do not need to build a billing system. Fourth, in addition to a small monthly fee (US$2.70 as of November 2004), users pay for network traffic based on the number of packets they send, not for the amount of time spent online. In addition, i-mode users pay through what is perhaps the world’s first successful implementation of a micropayments system. Fifth, the handsets are well designed and easy to use, with special appeal to the Japanese audience. Sixth, cultural factors, such as the Japanese love for gadgets, have contributed to i-mode’s success. In recent years, NTT DoCoMo has expanded its i-mode service model beyond Japan. Investments and partnerships have been arranged with telecommunications providers in Hong Kong (service started in May 2000), Europe, South Korea, Taiwan, and Brazil. In 2002, a partnership between NTT DoCoMo and AT&T Wireless led to the introduction of mMode, a mobile Internet service similar to i-mode, in the United States. Initial indications are that NTT DoCoMo has not experienced the same degree of success in these markets as i-mode has in Japan. As the list of success factors presented earlier indicate, i-mode owes much of its success to the particular circumstances and nature of the Japanese market. The ability for NTT DoCoMo to replicate a formula for success outside the Japanese market has yet to be determined.
Questions 1. Why is i-mode considered to be a mobile portal? 2. What factors have led to i-mode’s success in Japan? 3. What is the win-win situation for NTT DoCoMo and official site content providers?
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REFERENCES FOR ONLINE FILE W9.1 Krishnamurthy, S. NTT DoCoMo’s I-Mode Phone: A Case Study, 2001. paginas.fe.up.pt/ipc/suporte/ teoricas/docomo_final.pdf (accessed February 2008).
nttdocomo.com (accessed February 2008).
Online File W9.2 War Driving and War Chalking Why would anyone pay $8 a day or $30 a month for Wi-Fi access when it is readily available in many locations for free? Because it is relatively inexpensive to set up a wireless access point that is connected to the Internet, a number of businesses offer customers Wi-Fi access without charging them for the service (Richtel 2004). In fact, one organization, FreeNetworks.org (freenetworks.org) was founded to support the creation of free community wireless network projects around the globe. In other cases, spillover signals and poor security measures allow users to surreptitiously make a connection to a WLAN. How? First, to ensure adequate coverage throughout a building or home, a strong signal strength may be set. For example, if a wireless access point is installed in the front of a home, and the signal range is set to reach upper bedrooms and the back yard, the signal will also be detectable from the street. Second, although Wi-Fi does have a built-in security system known as Wireless Encryption Protocol (WEP), many small business owners and homeowners with WLANs never turn it on. Similarly, for their own convenience or via an oversight, many WLAN owners do not employ password protection. As a result, they sponsor an open and free network connection to anyone who happens to be in the range of connecting with a wireless device that can pick up the signal. Knowing this, a small number of people have made a hobby out of war driving. War driving is the act of locating open (unsecured) WLANs while driving around a city or other geographic area (see wardriving.com). To war drive, a person needs a vehicle, a computer or PDA with a wireless card running in promiscuous mode, software that will probe for access points, and an antenna that can be mounted on top of or positioned inside the car. A knowledgeable war driver is able to detect a signal, intrude into the network, obtain a free Internet connection, and possibly gain access to important data and other resources of the legal owner. The term war driving is derived from the term war dialing, a technique in which a hacker programs his or her computer to call hundreds of phone numbers until a modem answers, which indicates a dial-up connection to a computer. War dialing is demonstrated in the movie War Games, which features Matthew Broderick performing the technique. A related practice is war chalking. Once an open Wi-Fi connection is found, it can be identified by symbols on a sidewalk or wall to indicate nearby wireless access. The term war chalking was inspired by the practice of hobos during the Great Depression who used chalk marks to indicate which homes offered food or shelter. One of the primary aims of people engaged in war driving is to highlight the lax security of Wi-Fi–based networks. This motivation seems warranted. In November 2003, Toronto police investigated a parked car and found that the driver was naked from the waist down with a laptop computer on the front seat, playing a child pornography video that was being streamed from an insecure residential hotspot. An attorney speculated that if homeowners are negligent in setting up proper security, they could be held accountable for activities carried out on their networks, including criminal activities such as launching spam, distributing viruses, stealing data, or downloading child pornography (Shim 2003). In Douglas County, Colorado, the sheriff’s department is establishing a Wi-Fi patrol; police cars will be equipped to war drive and note down open Wi-Fi access points, with the goal of alerting owners (if they can be found) that they should lock down their Wi-Fi networks.
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REFERENCES FOR ONLINE FILE W9.2 Shim, R. “Wi-Fi Arrest Highlights Security Dangers.” CNET News, November 28, 2003. news.zdnet.com/ 2100–1009_22–5112000.html (accessed January 2004).
Techdirt.com. “Car 802.11b Where Are You?” June 29, 2006. techdirt.com/articles/20060629/1843240.shtml (accessed February 2008).
Online File W9.3 Wi-Fi Mesh Networks, Google Talk, and Interoperability Researchers in India have developed a protocol that will enable wide area coverage of Wi-Fi networks, which are called Wi-Fi mesh networks. With the conventional Wi-Fi networks that are common in Internet cafés and airports, radio signals are exchanged between portable devices and the base station, which has a wired connection to the Internet. Their range is 100 meters or less. With a Wi-Fi mesh network, several nodes can exchange radio signals with each other as well as with the devices. The range of a Wi-Fi mesh network is up to 40 kilometers and at speeds up to 20 faster than traditional Wi-Fi. This arrangement provides wider geographic Wi-Fi coverage at lower cost than a series of conventional Wi-Fi networks, because not all of the nodes have to be wired to the Internet. Another development is Google’s Google Talk service, which allows for voice connections and IM. In May 2006, Google and Nokia launched a handheld Internet browsing device that contained Google Talk, which relies on Wi-Fi instead of cell phone networks. As many as 300 municipalities, including San Francisco, Philadelphia, Suffolk County in Long Island, New York, and the entire state of Connecticut plan to offer the Wi-Fi service free of charge. Initially, because of the different protocols, the device cannot call regular phones. However, cell phone equipment manufacturers, including Avaya, Cisco Systems, and Motorola, are testing devices that have both Wi-Fi and cell phone network capabilities. For example, Motorola partnered with eBay’s VoIP provider Skype. Customers with Wi-Fi–enabled mobile phones will have the option of using Skype’s service in place of a landline service as long as they are within range of a Wi-Fi signal. Once out of Wi-Fi range, the phone switches to cellular technology. Sales of mobile phones with both cellular and Wi-Fi capability will be booming by 2010, according to a study by market research company In-Stat.
REFERENCES FOR ONLINE FILE W9.3 Fleetwood, C. “New Nokia, Google Partnership Highlights WiFi Trend.” CNNMoney.com, May 12, 2006. cellular-news.com/story/17361.php (accessed February 2008).
Technology Review. “Long-Distance Wi-Fi.” October 2005.
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Part 4: Other EC Models and Applications
Online File W9.4 Nordea’s WAP Solo Banks Portal
EXHIBIT W9.4.1
Nordea’s WAP Solo Banks Portal Solo Services
Solo
Tervenuloa Merita Merita Bank 1abc 4ghi 7 pq rs
*
Solo Solo Market abc 3 def 2 In English mno jkl 6 5 Pa Svenska yz 9 wx 8 tuvSupmeksl 0
#
Options
Customer number (..) Password (..) Accept Options
Back
Solo Investments NORDEA Highest end 6,90 Latest end 6,85
Accounts Transfer New Payment Falling Due (2) Abroad Investments Visa Inquiry Mastercard Inquiry Mail Solo News 07.05 Instructions and Terms Exit Solo Options
Back
Solo Services 14.03 53.0013.03 1700.0013.03 2456.5512.03 467.9010.03 42.0010.03 567.059.03 15,411.008.03 979.25 5.03 54.55 Options
Back
Solo Transfer
Amount (..) Limit Price (..) Validity (..)
10.03 ESP 50000.00 Credit Bank Andoma ESCALDES 1,806.24
Give Code N (..) Confirm Purchase
11.03 FIM 346.85 SUPERMARKET/HKI
From Account [234156-983] To Account [133690-672-11] Amount [...] MK/EURO [MK] Accept Home Page
Options
Options
Options
Back
Solo Visa Inquiry
Back
Back
Chapter Nine: Mobile Computing and Commerce
Online File W9.5 Wireless Advertising in Action The following are a few examples of wireless advertisement campaigns or trials currently underway. Vindigo (vindigo.com) has a large database of customers (over a million as of May 2004) who are willing to accept promotional materials on their wireless devices. This is known as permission marketing. The users download special software to their PDAs that enables Vindigo to deliver timely, accurate information about places to go and things to do in their area. Along with every listing, the company can deliver a customized message to the users at a time and place where it is of most interest to them and they are most likely to act on it. The company targets ads by city (New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, etc.) and channel (Eat, Shop, or Play). Vindigo tracks which ads a user sees and selects, and even allows a user to request information from an advertiser via e-mail. Vindigo determines a user’s location through GPS or by asking which neighborhoods the user wants to be matched with. For example, an Italian restaurant chain could use Vindigo to send a message to anyone looking for Italian food within a few blocks of one of its locations. The restaurant could provide the user with directions to the restaurant and even offer a list of specials on the menu. MyAvantGo (avantgo.com) has several thousand content channels and over 8 million registered users (AvantGo 2004). The content is delivered to PDAs and handsets running Palm or PocketPC operating systems. MyAvantGo offers an m-business channel and direct promotions, delivering advertising from some of the world’s top brands, including American Airlines, Chevy Trucks, the Golf Channel, CNN, the New York Times, and Yahoo! Hoping to become the king of location-based Web domains, Go2 (go2online.com) helps mobile travelers find everything from lodging (choose go2hotels) to Jiffy Lube stations. Partnering with Sprint, Nextel, Verizon, and BellSouth, Go2 makes its services available on every Web-enabled phone, Palm i705, and BlackBerry RIM pager in America. Entering “JiffyLube” or hundreds of other brand names into the Go2 system will bring up the nearest location where a shopper can find that product or service. Another aspect of wireless advertising is getting paid to listen to advertising. As in the wireline world, some consumers are willing to be paid for exposure to advertising. In most places where it was offered in the United States, this service was a flop and was discontinued. In Singapore, though, getting paid to listen to advertising works very well. Within a few months of offering the ads, more than 100,000 people subscribed to the free minutes in exchange for listening to the ads offered by SingTel Mobile (Eklund 2001). Subscribers to SingTel’s service fill out a personal questionnaire when they sign up. This information is fed into the Spotcast database and encrypted to shield subscribers’ identities—Spotcast cannot match phone numbers with names, for example. To collect their free minutes—1 minute per call, up to 100 minutes a month—subscribers dial a fourdigit code, then the phone number of the person they want to talk to. The code prompts SingTel to forward the call to Spotcast and in an instant Spotcast’s software finds the best ad to send to the subscriber based on the subscriber’s profile.
REFERENCES FOR ONLINE FILE W9.5 Avantgo.com. avantgo.com (accessed February 2008). Eklund, B. “Wireless Advertising’s Home of the Free.” Red Herring, March 6, 2001. redherring.com/mag/ issue94/650018065.html (no longer available online).
go2online.com (accessed February 2008). vindigo.com (accessed February 2008).
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ONLINE FILE W9.6
EC Application
U.S. FLEET SERVICES AND WIRELESS NETWORKING Started in 1997, U.S. Fleet Services has grown to be the leading provider of mobile, onsite fueling in the United States, with customers such as FedEx, Home Depot, Coca-Cola, Nabisco, Office Max. It has over 3,000 facilities throughout the United States and Canada. Using trucks that resemble home fuel-delivery vehicles, U.S. Fleet travels to its customers, refueling the customers’ vehicles onsite, usually during off hours. U.S. Fleet had considered building a wireless network for its drivers, but decided against it. Managers considered the project to be too hard and too expensive given the expected ROI. However, toward the end of 2001, they changed their minds. Although a mobile wireless solution was the end goal, the first step in the project actually involved the implementation of an ERP system. This was followed by a Web-based application built on top of the ERP that provided customers with information about their fuel consumption and taxes, enabling them to do better fleet management. Finally, U.S. Fleet equipped its drivers with handheld devices that could communicate with the company’s intranet using Wi-Fi. The handheld device U.S. Fleet selected was the Intermec 710 (intermec.com). According to the architect of the U.S. Fleet system, this device was selected for a number of reasons. Besides having a built-in bar-code scanner, it also runs Microsoft’s Pocket PC operating system, supports Visual Basic programs, handles CompactFlash cards, and has an integrated wireless radio for short range Wi-Fi communications. The device is fairly lightweight with a drop resistant case that is sealed to protect against harsh weather conditions. The system works as follows: Branch managers enter a delivery route and schedule for each driver into a centralized database via the company’s intranet. Each driver starts the
shift by downloading the route and schedule over the company’s Wi-Fi network into a handheld. When the driver reaches a customer stop, the handheld is used to scan a barcode attached to the customer’s truck. This provides the driver with the type of fuel required by the truck. After the truck is fueled, a meter on the delivery truck sends a wireless signal to the handheld. The handheld then syncs with the meter, capturing the type and quantity of fuel delivered. The data are stored on the handheld’s CompactFlash memory card. When the driver returns to the home base, the data are unloaded over the Wi-Fi network to the central database. At this point, the data are available for U.S. Fleet and its customers to analyze. Before the handheld computers were deployed, drivers would record the data manually. The data were then faxed from the branch offices to headquarters and entered by hand into the system. Not only were there delays, but the data were also subject to entry errors at both ends of the line. The company and its customers now have accurate data in a timely fashion, which provides the company with faster invoicing and cash flow. On average, the new system has also enabled drivers to service six to seven more stops per shift.
Questions 1. What systems did U.S. Fleet have to put in place before implementing its wireless solution? 2. Why did U.S. Fleet select the Intermec 710 handheld device? How does the device communicate with the company’s intranet? 3. What are the major benefits that U.S. Fleet has realized by combining handheld devices with Wi-Fi?
REFERENCES FOR ONLINE FILE W9.6 Ludorf, C. “U.S. Fleet Services and Wireless Networking.” Transportation Technology Today, August 2002, pp. 12–15.
usfleet.com (accessed February 2008).
Chapter Nine: Mobile Computing and Commerce
ONLINE FILE W9.7
7
EC Application
MOBILE WORKPLACE APPLICATIONS FOR CUSTOMER SUPPORT The following are two scenarios of wireless applications for mobile employees. Sales Support Linda is a member of the field sales team at Theru Tools (a fictitious company). Each day she drives out to her customers in a van stocked with products. For each sale, she has to note the customer name, the number and type of products sold, and any special discounts made. This record keeping used to be done manually, and many errors were made, leading to customer complaints and lost sales. Theru implemented a system using low-cost but powerful handheld wireless devices. Using Mobile Sales (an application for handhelds), accessed via the mysap.com Mobile Workplace, Linda and her coworkers in the field now have information at their fingertips, including updates on new products and special promotions. Linda can place orders without delay and get immediate feedback on product availability and delivery times. What’s more, the system can prompt Linda as she enters orders, and it also can make plausibility checks on the orders, eliminating many of the errors associated with the manual process. It also checks to see if she is giving the right discounts to the right customer, and immediately triggers the invoicing process or prints out a receipt on the spot. Customer Service Support Michael works for Euroblast, Inc. (another fictitious company) as a service engineer. It is his job to provide
time-critical maintenance and support for the company’s customers’ electromechanical control systems. To do so, he needs to know immediately when a customer’s system is faltering, what is malfunctioning, and what type of service contract is in effect. Michael does not need to carry all of this information in his head, but instead has it in the palm of his hand. With only a few taps of a stylus, Michael accesses the mysap.com Mobile Workplace for all the data he requires, including the name and address of the next customer he should visit, equipment specifications, parts inventory data, and so forth. Once he has completed the job, he can report back on the time spent and materials he used, and these data can be employed for timely billing and service quality analysis. In addition, his company is able to keep track of his progress and monitor any major fluctuations in activities. As a result, both Michael and his supervisors are better informed and better able to serve their customers.
Questions 1. How has the introduction of handheld wireless devices changed sales support at Theru tools? 2. What benefits does Euroblast receive from Mobile Workplace? How does Michael benefit? What are the benefits for Euroblast’s customers?
REFERENCES FOR ONLINE FILE W9.7 SAP. “CRM and the mySAP.com Mobile Workplace” (a publicly available brochure from SAP). 2000. sap.com. “SAP xApps for Mobile Business: SAP xApp Mobile Service,” 2006. sap.com/solutions/xapps/
mobilebusiness/index.epx 2008).
(accessed
February
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Online File W9.8 Location-Based Technologies Providing location-based services requires the following location-based and network technologies: ◗ GPS locator. A GPS locator is included in the mobile device to determine the location of the person carrying the mobile device. ◗ Position-determining equipment (PDE). This equipment identifies the location of the mobile device (either through GPS or by locating the nearest base station). The position information is sent to the mobile positioning center. ◗ Mobile positioning center (MPC). The MPC is a server that manages the location information sent from the PDE. ◗ Location-based technology. This technology consists of groups of servers that combine the position information with geographic- and location-specific content to provide a service. For instance, location-based technology could present a list of addresses of nearby restaurants based on the position of the caller, local street maps, and a directory of businesses organized by location. ◗ Geographic content. Geographic content consists of streets, road maps, addresses, routes, landmarks, land usage, zip codes, and the like. This information must be delivered in compressed form for fast distribution over wireless networks. ◗ Location-specific content. Location-specific content is used in conjunction with the geographic content to provide the location of particular services. Yellow-page directories showing the location of specific business and services exemplify this type of content. The accompanying diagram shows how these technologies are used in conjunction with one another to deliver location-based services.
GPS System
GPS
GPS Handset
Location Server Cellular Phone Station
Internet
Service Center
Contents Center
Source: MapInfo Corporation. “MapInfo Envinsa™” mapinfo.com/industries/mobile (accessed June 2003). Used with permission.
Chapter Nine: Mobile Computing and Commerce
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REFERENCES FOR ONLINE FILE W9.8 MapInfo Corporation. MapInfo Envinsa. extranet. mapinfo.com/products/overview.cfm?productid = 1825 (accessed February 2008).
MobileIN.com. “Location-Based Services.” 2004. mobilein.com/location_based_ser vices.htm (accessed February 2008).
Online File W9.9 Nextbus: A Superb Customer Service The Problem Buses in certain parts of San Francisco have difficulty keeping up with the posted schedule, especially during rush hours. Generally, buses are scheduled to arrive every 20 minutes, but at times passengers may have to wait 30 to 40 minutes. The scheduled times become meaningless and passengers are unhappy because they waste time.
NextBus Operational Model GPS Satellites Real-Time Arrival NextBus Predictions Wireless Information Communication Center 0100100 1010110 1100100 1011010 1001010
Location and Bus ID Reported to Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) at NextBus Information Center
0100100 1010110 1100100 1011010 1001010
Real-Time Passenger Messages
0100100 1010110 1100100 1011010 1001010
Transit Management Information
World Wide Web
Wireless Phone and Mobile Devices
Wireless Communication
22 Fillmore 7 min & 12 min
Shelter Signs and Public Displays
Pole Signs
Source: Used with permission of NextBus Information Systems, Inc. Copyright © 2005.
(continued)
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Online File W9.9 (continued) The Solution San Francisco bus riders carrying an Internet-enabled wireless device, such as a cell phone or PDA, can quickly find out when a bus is likely to arrive at a particular bus stop. The NextBus (nextbus.com) system tracks public transportation buses in real time. Knowing where each bus is and factoring in traffic patterns and weather reports, NextBus calculates the estimated arrival time of the bus to each bus stop on the route. Arrival times also are displayed on the Internet and on a public screen at each bus stop. The NextBus system has been used successfully in several other cities around the United States, in Finland, and in several other countries. The exhibit on the previous page shows how the NextBus system works. The core of the NextBus system is the set of GPS satellites that let the NextBus information center know where a bus is located. Based on a bus’s location, the scheduled arrival time at each stop can be calculated. Currently, NextBus is an ad-free customer service, but in the near future advertising may be added. Because the system knows exactly where a rider is when they request information and how much time they have until their next bus, in the future, the system may send the rider to the nearest Starbucks for a cup of coffee, giving them an electronic discount coupon.
The Results Passengers in San Francisco are happy with the system; worries about missing the bus are diminished. A similar system is used in rural areas in Finland, where buses are infrequent and the winters are very cold; passengers can stay in a warm coffeehouse not far from the bus stop rather than wait in the cold for a bus that may be an hour late. A bus company can also use the system to improve scheduling, arrange for extra buses when needed, and improve its operations.
REFERENCES FOR ONLINE FILE W9.9 ITS America. “NextBus Expands Real-Time Transit Information in the Bay Area with AC Transit.” ITS America, August 9, 2001. nextbus.com/corporate/ press/#actransitExpansion (accessed February 2008). Murphy, P. “Running Late? Take the NextBus.” Environmental News Network, September 7, 1999.
enn.com/enn-features-archive/1999/09/090799/ nextbus_4692.asp (no longer available online). nextbus.com (accessed February 2008).
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Online File W9.10 OnStar OnStar is a subscription-based communication, monitoring, and tracking service for safety and security operated by General Motors (onstar.com). As of 2005, it is a standard feature for several General Motors vehicles, and it will be standard on all new GM vehicles sold in North America by 2007. It also is available on the Acura RL and MDX. Other manufacturers offering OnStar include Audi, Subaru, and Volkswagen. The service is available for all vehicles that have the factoryinstalled OnStar hardware. The service consists of both communication, through mobile phone networks, and tracking by GPS technology. Drivers and passengers can use its audio interface to contact OnStar representatives for concierge-like and emergency services that can initiate an action when vehicle telemetry indicates an emergency (for instance airbag deployment). OnStar’s innovative three-button system offers: ◗ 24-hour access to expertly trained, caring advisors ◗ A connection to emergency assistance ◗ Access to OnStar Hands-Free Calling When a driver presses the red OnStar Emergency button or blue OnStar button, current vehicle data and the user’s GPS location are immediately gathered. This information is then sent to OnStar. OnStar Emergency calls are routed to the OnStar Center with the highest priority. As of 2008, two OnStar centers exist, located in North Carolina and Toronto.
GM Advanced Automatic Crash Notification System The GM advanced automatic crash notification (AACN) system uses front and side sensors as well as the sensing capabilities of the Sensing and Diagnostic Module (SDM) itself. The accelerometer located within the SDM measures the crash severity. In the event of a moderate to severe front or side-impact crash, data are transmitted from the affected sensors to the SDM. The SDM sensor also can identify a rear impact of sufficient severity. Regardless of whether the airbags deploy, the SDM transmits crash information to the vehicle’s OnStar module. Within seconds of a moderate to sever crash, the OnStar module will send a message to the OnStar Call Center (OCC) through a cellular connection, informing an OCC advisor that a crash has occurred. A voice connection between the advisor and the vehicle’s occupants is established. The advisor then can conference in 911 dispatch or a public safety answering point (PSAP) to determine if emergency services are necessary. If the vehicle’s occupants do not respond, the OCC advisor can provide the emergency dispatcher with crash information from the SDM, and the dispatcher can identify what emergency services may be appropriate. Using the GPS satellite, OnStar advisors are able to tell emergency workers the location of the vehicle. The number and location of sensors and SDM may vary depending on vehicle models.
REFERENCES FOR ONLINE FILE W9.10 How Stuff Works. “OnStar.” 2007 howstuffworks.com/ onstar.htm (accessed February 2008).
Wikipedia. “OnStar.” 2007 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ OnStar (accessed February 2008).
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ONLINE FILE W9.11
SECURITY APPROACHES FOR MOBILE COMPUTING WEP WEP (wired equivalent privacy) is a security protocol for Wi-Fi networks that encrypts the communications between a mobile device (e.g., a laptop, tablet PC, PDA) and the wireless access point. WEP provides weak encryption, meaning that it is secured against casual hacking as long as the person setting up the network turns on the encryption. Unfortunately, many small business owners and homeowners operating a WLAN fail to do just that. Although WEP offers a measure of security, the trade-off is inconvenience. In order to employ WEP, all Wi-Fi users must be educated on how it works, their computers must be reconfigured to connect to the network, and the encryption code must be changed frequently. Additionally, every authorized user must be given the encryption key, which means that a lot of people will be carrying around the keys to the network. In larger companies, if a hacker can gain access to the encryption key or can get through the WEP security in some other way—which is easily done with readily available software, such as AirSnort (airsnort.shmoo.com) or WEPCrack (wepcrack.sourceforge.net)—the damage is often greater, because companies have a habit of installing their wireless access points behind their firewalls. There are alternatives to WEP. If a company is concerned about the security of wireless data communications, it can use VPN technology to create a secure connection over the wireless link. Also, a new Wi-Fi security standard—Wi-Fi Protective Access (WPA)—is under development. This standard has the backing of the Wireless Fidelity Alliance and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). WPA provides enhanced encryption and supports user authentication, something that was missing from WEP. The alliance has already begun certifying Wi-Fi products with WPA security. This enhanced security may encourage more businesses to experiment with Wi-Fi over the coming years. For details, see Fikes (2003). SIM-Based Authentication GSM and its 2.5G and 3.0G counterparts all include SIM. This module is usually implemented as a smart card that contains an authentication key along with other vital information about the subscriber. The authentication key also is stored on a “home location registry,” which can be thought of as a database that is part of the mobile network. When the phone is turned on, the user is asked to enter a PIN number. This protects the cell phone against illegal use if it happens to be stolen or lost. If the PIN is
correct, the cell phone and the network engage in a “challenge-response” process of authentication. A network authentication center sends a random number to the cell phone’s SIM. The SIM computes a “signed response” by combining the random number with its authentication key. The signed response is sent over the network to the authentication center, which performs the same computation using a copy of the authentication key stored on the home-location registry. If the signed response matches the value computed by the authentication center, then the cell phone is authenticated. After that, communication takes place through “symmetric encryption,” using a key generated by both the authentication center and the SIM. Although SIM cards protect against unauthorized use of a particular subscriber’s account, they do not prevent the use of a stolen cell phone. If a thief steals a phone, the thief can simply replace the existing SIM card with another one and sell it on the open market. The police in Amsterdam employed an interesting method to thwart this practice. Using a cell phone’s International Mobile Equipment Identity number, the police are able to track down the mobile phone number being used on the stolen phone. Once the number is known, the police employ a special computer program to send out an SMS message to the stolen phone every 3 minutes. The message reads, “This handset was nicked [stolen]; buying or selling it is a crime. The Police.” Obviously, this makes the stolen phone a lot less attractive to prospective buyers (Evers 2001). WTSL and WIM The transmissions between the WAP gateway and the Web server can be secured through the wired Internet security protocols discussed in Chapter 10 (e.g., PKI, SSL, and TSL). These protocols cannot be used on the mobile side of the gateway. Instead, WAP relies on the Wireless Transport Layer Security (WTLS). Like its wired counterpart (TSL), WTLS enables encrypted communications between a mobile device and the WAP gateway. Additionally, WTLS supports the key elements of PKI—public and private encryption keys, digital certificates, digital signatures, and the like. A wireless identity module (WIM) can be used in combination with WTLS. A WIM is a smart card device, much like a SIM (and, in fact, can be implemented on a SIM). It is designed to hold the security keys and digital certificates used by the gateway and the Web server to encrypt/decrypt communications. One of the advantages of a WIM is that it can be issued by a bank or other financial institution to handle m-commerce payments and transactions.
Chapter Nine: Mobile Computing and Commerce
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REFERENCES FOR ONLINE FILE W9.11 Evers, J. “Dutch Police Fight Cell Phone Theft with SMS Bombs.” IDG News Service, March 27, 2001. archives.cnn.com/2001/TECH/ptech/03/28/SM S.bomb.idg (accessed February 2008).
Fikes, B. “Unguarded Wireless Networks a Snap for ‘Stumbling.’” Californian North County Times, January 12, 2003. nctimes.net/news/2003/ 20030112/53511.html (no longer available online).
