Arnd Weber

The convergence of mobile data phones, consumer electronics, and wallets: Lessons from Japan

Japan is leading the world with the adoption of new mobile data services such as Internet services and with a resulting boost in data ARPU (average revenue per user). In the development of these services, many functions have been integrated into mobile handsets, which has resulted in a convergence of, so far, separate consumer electronic devices. This article addresses the following questions: What are the drivers of this process? What could European players, in particular the European policymakers do to catch up? According to our research, a major driver of the process in Japan is tough competition among operators, which in turn is driven by factors such as competition in mobile radio infrastructure. The author arrives at the following conclusions for European policies: (1) There should be more awareness of the Japanese lead, e.g., of the crucial role of Internet push e-mail. (2) Europe could benefit from more operators willing to bear the risk of introducing new technologies. (3) For a successful introduction of infrastructure competition, it could make sense to make spectrum bands available with European-wide licenses.

“I-Mode” in Japan: How to Explain Its Development

This paper presents first results of a project about the development of i-mode and tries to draw conclusions on what a German or European reader may learn from the i-mode case. The literature about i-mode and the many success factors which have been discussed are reviewed, including cultural factors. One of the aims of the project is to explore the question whether i-mode is co-determined by cultural factors. As many interviews with experts and actors showed, i-mode appears at least to be influenced by such factors (e.g. quality orientation). However, the fierce competition at all levels (including radio infrastructure) is the most prominent economic factor. The project has been supported by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research.

Developments for 4G European Policy

This paper addresses the potential need for European public policy actions in the area of mobile communications, in particular of developments towards 4th generation networks (4G). The paper is based on work conducted for the EC/JRC/IPTS/ESTO project “The Future of Mobile Technologies in EU: Assessing 4G Developments”. The paper first reviews developments of 3G and 4G technologies in Japan, Korea, China and the USA. It briefly addresses potential costs and benefits of competition in infrastructures. The paper states that initiatives in Europe for technologies beyond 3G tend to address research issues, while players in Asia and the USA are aiming at sales of 4G‐equipment supposed to start as soon as possible. In conclusion, nine options for policy makers are presented, such as to stimulate 2.5G and 3G data markets, to analyse actual spectrum use, to continue analysing approaches competing with UMTS, to estimate costs and benefits of new approaches to spectrum regulation, and to evaluate steps towards frequency allocation.

Enabling crypto: how radical innovations occur

Examining the key factors and influences in the development of cryptography.

How free is the radio spectrum

Purpose – New technologies provide new opportunities for radio spectrum allocation and frequency use. This article seeks to summarize papers that form a special issue on spectrum management, and to provide also some outlooks toward policy.Design/methodology/approach – This editorial gives an introduction to the selection of papers included in this special issue. The editorial lays out the basic questions guiding the debate about spectrum management and explains the contribution of the various papers to this debate.Findings – The editorial points out the high social, political and economic importance of spectrum management, and the need for a critical discussion of regulatory approaches is emphasised.Originality/value – The editorial summarizes papers for a special issue on spectrum management and will be of value to academics, business and policy makers.

Verifizierte Virtualisierung für mehr Sicherheit und Komfort

ZusammenfassungViren und trojanische Pferde werden auch weiterhin private und geschäftliche PCs angreifen. Trojaner können z. B. Homebanking-Passworte ausspähen oder vertrauliche Geschäftsdaten an einen Betrüger schicken. Existierende Betriebssysteme bieten keinen ausreichenden Schutz gegen solche Angriffe. Die Autoren schlagen vor, solche Daten durch den Einsatz von Virtualisierungstechniken außerhalb des hauptsächlichen Betriebssystems des Nutzers zu schützen.