Where does mobile business go?

Understanding the business and commercial intricacies of mobile commerce is not easy. Different actors are involved and they all aim at providing users with new data and services through their mobile devices. Moreover, mobile business differs substantially from known online business, due to better user reachability and higher identification with mobile devices. MB-net, a thematic network funded by the European Commission, investigates business and commercial prospects of mobile applications and services, to highlight the topics on which international research should focus during the next years. The findings of this network and the current status of the strategic research roadmap developed are summarised and further elaborated in this paper. In order to get insight into the current situation, the potential development and the key issues of mobile commerce in Austria, an expert survey was conducted for the occasion of the first Austrian MB-net workshop in November 2002. The key findings of the survey are presented in the paper and put into the context of the research roadmap.