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M-Government: Opportunities and Challenges to Deliver Mobile Government. Services in Developing Countries. Desta Mengistu, Hangjung Zo, Jae Jeung Rho.
2009 Fourth International Conference on Computer Sciences and Convergence Information Technology

M-Government: Opportunities and Challenges to Deliver Mobile Government Services in Developing Countries Desta Mengistu, Hangjung Zo, Jae Jeung Rho Department of IT Business (ITTP) Korean Advanced Institute of Science and Technology Daejeon, Korea [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]

Within the context of e- Government, m-Government services offer more access to information and services for citizens, businesses, and nonprofit organizations through wireless communication networks and mobile devices such as pagers, PDAs, cellular phones, and their supporting systems [3, 4]. M-Government is an emerging trend in public service delivery and is part of a broader phenomenon of mobileenabled development (m-development). It creates and guarantees mobility and portability for the public, business, and government. Furthermore, it is convenient in accessing information, real-time access to information, and personalization of information access are guaranteed to maximize benefits of using information and, in turn, create further advanced e-Government services [5]. However, providing strategic impact, and secured m-services, dealing with the complexity of different mobile technologies, and creating secure networks to realize reliable services are the major challenges for government institutions. The potential for m-Government in developing countries, however, remains largely unexploited, even though, governments in developing countries are increasingly making efforts to expand mobile networks infrastructure to provide more access to information and services for citizens through wireless devices. Within this context, this paper presents the concept of mgovernment in developing countries; identify the high impact services, discuss some of the challenges and main opportunities in providing m-services. The objectives of this paper are, to discuss the main challenges and opportunities of m-government and to identify m-services that have strategic high impact in developing countries. This paper is organized as follows: section two presents the overview of m-Government and m-services. Section three contains the brief discussion about mobile communication in developing countries. Section four presents case studies in utilizing m-Government to provide services to the citizens. Section five contains the challenges of the m-government in developing countries. Finally, in section six conclusions and recommendation of this study are presented.

Abstract— Mobile Government (m-Government) is the use of mobile technologies within the government administration to deliver public services to citizens and firms. It is quickly emerging as the new frontier of service delivery, and transforming government by making public services more accessible to citizens. Governments in developing countries are increasingly making efforts to provide more access to information and services for citizens, businesses, and civil servants through wireless devices. However, providing strategically high impact m-services is beset with numerous challenges- complexity of different mobile technologies, creating secured networks to deliver reliable service, and identifying the types of services that can be easily provided on mobile devices. The scope of this study, therefore, is to identify and discuss some of the challenges as well as the opportunities for improving government performance. The objectives of this paper are, to discuss the main challenges and opportunities of m-government and to identify m-services that m-Government initiatives present for developing countries.

Keywords- m-government, e-government, and mobile

services ) I.

INTRODUCTION

The emergence of new information and communication technologies (ICTs) has not only revolutionized the way business is conducted but also transformed the delivery mechanism of governmental services. Since the 1990s, public-sector organizations across the globe have been applying Internet technology and other ICTs in innovative ways to deliver services, engage citizens, and improve efficiency: a set of practices commonly known as electronic government (e-government) [1]. E-Government is rapidly becoming one of government's critical means for the provision of seamless services for public agencies, businesses, and citizens. It is the use of information and communication technologies as a tool to achieve better government [2]. An explosion in the use of mobile technologies (mtechnologies), such as mobile phones, laptops, and personal digital assistants (PDAs) to connect to wireless networks has enabled governments to transit from e-government to mgovernment [1]. 978-0-7695-3896-9/09 $26.00 © 2009 IEEE DOI 10.1109/ICCIT.2009.171

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II.

M-GOVERNMENT & APPLICATION

This section gives the background of related research works of the study including m-Government, e-Government, application of m-government, and m- services concept.

Back office Applications

Front-office Applications

A. M-Government M-Government and e-Government are not two separate entities. E-Government encompasses usage of all technologies to deliver services to citizens and improve the activities of government and streamline their processes. On the other hand, m-government is an add on to the eGovernment confined to use of mobile technologies such as mobile phones, PDAs, Wi-Fi enabled devices, blue tooth, wireless networks in delivering services. In addition, mGovernment is a better option compared to e-Government in delivering services and public information to citizens due to its nature of being available anywhere, anytime and from any internet enabled device [6]. The trend towards m-Government has been facilitated by growing capabilities of mobile technologies and their associated infrastructures, devices and systems and their acceptance in both developed and developing countries. [7,8]. Like e-Government, m-Government operates on four different levels of interactions as identified in the Figure 1.

m-Government to citizen (mG2C) which refers to the interactions between government to citizen

m-Government to citizen (mG2E) Concerning the interaction between government and to its employee

Individual Figure 1.

people anywhere and anytime. This characteristic creates the sense of ubiquity of government. Citizens can have access to government information and services whenever it is convenient for them and not only during opening hours of the public agencies. • Provision of location-based government services. The ability to determine a person's exact physical location and provide location based services creates new opportunities. • On-time information delivery. Specific benefits of mobile devices, such as real-time connection and fast access, can efficiently serve producers who need crucial and certified information. • Ease of use. Due to the enhanced level of customization and personalization mobile devices, they are handy and therefore can be easily adopted • Improving emergency management. Mobile and wireless technology can be used to the transmission and propagation of crucial information timely. M-Government appears to be a promising solution for overcoming administrative inefficiency and helping rural citizens and businesses, because they are far off the decision and policy-making centers. B. Why M-Government? The followings are some of the attractive features that prompt shift towards m-Government: in developing countries. a) Number of mobile users and increasing penetration: more people than ever have ownership of mobile devices capable of accessing e-services and e-contents. b) Mobiles connecting people to the Internet: In Ghana, urban users are using mobiles to receive an “Internet experience” through Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) services provided over General packet radio service (GPRS). c) Mobility: enables people to access content wherever they are. d) Inclusiveness and Remote area access: Mobile phones, can reach those areas where the infrastructure necessary for Internet services or wired phone services is difficult to setup. In the developing countries mobile government applications may become a key method for reaching citizens in far and wide areas and promoting exchange of communications. In such countries with insufficient conventional telecom infrastructures and greater acceptance of mobile phones, the ability of reaching rural areas may be considered as an important feature of mGovernment. Mobile technologies increasing inclusion of the most marginalized people in society. e) Low Cost: mobile phones are a relatively low cost technology, which the common people can aford to have it as compared to Internet technology.

m-Government to citizen (mG2B) describing the interaction of government with business

m-Government to citizen (mG2G) referring to interagency relationships and the interaction between governmental agencies

Organization

m-Government interactions

These days, around the world, the most developed type of interaction is mG2C [2]. Therefore this study focuses on mG2C interaction which enables citizens to get government services anywhere and anytime. According to [2], m-Government services can provide particular support and solutions for citizens, as follows: • Mobility and ubiquity. The major advantage of mgovernment is mobility, namely the ability to reach

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Figure 2. Evaluation of Services Concept (Source: [10])

f) Ease of Learning: Usage of mobile devices is fairly simple thus making it easy for any common person to use it and to access information. g) Easy Infrastructure Setup: Due to the simple architecture of mobile telephony, new mobile phone networks can be easily installed in countries where infrastructure is an issue and less economic constraint. h) Improvement on e-Government effort: Mgovernment is not a replacement to e-Government but complementary to it. Also, it helps in expanding the scope of e-Governance in the areas like e-Democracy, eParticipation, e-Voting and many other forms of communication between the citizen and the government [9].

Based on the two domains of m-Government application, the services are summarized in Table 1. In addition the complexity and cost level of the services is indicated in the table. TABLE I. Complexity /cost

Low

C. M-Government Applications M-Government can be applied to four main purposes such as m-services, m-communications, m-administration, and m-democracy in the public sector [6]. This study categorizes the application into two domains such as back-office and front-office applications, and four interactions. The first domain, back-office applications are focused on the use of wireless/mobile technologies in intra/inter government affairs (mG2E, mG2G) to enhance government productivity and to save cost. The second domain, front-office applications are focused on the use of wireless/mobile technologies to provide information and services for citizens businesses (mG2C, mG2B). D. M-Services E-services (electronic services), referring to any varieties of traditional services delivered electronically, are popularly adopted as a solution for integrating ICT into the customer support process. M-services, services delivered to customers’ portable electronic devices such as mobile handsets and PDAs, extend e-services through wireless internet [10].

e-Service

M-Service

High

III.

Field Survey/Inspection

Information Provision: Messaging Retrieval

-Statistics management, meter reading, land use/prices, consumer prices, etc

-SMS alerts for various issues(such as energy shortage, results notifications, meetings), job openings, Public transportation, tourism, weather, location-based services(LBS), etc.

Facility /Project Management

Emergency Report Response

-Buildings, parking lots, roadway facilities, constriction projects, warehousing inventory, etc

-Reporting accident, fire, crime, and other major disasters and talking emergency measures

Regulation/Police/Law Enforcement

Information Collection/Poll/Voting

-Driving/parking enforcement, incident reporting, pollution monitoring, etc.

-Bulletin board, policy monitoring, opinion poll, voting, etc

Teleworking/Collaboration

Permit /Licensing/Registration -Application, registration, permit, licensing, etc. -Application, registration, permit, licensing, etc.

-Tax, fees, charges, fines via mobile payment methods.

M-TECHNOLOGIES AND DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

M-technology has emerged as the next wave in the IT revolution as its advantages come from two unique characteristics: “mobility” and “wireless.” Mobility is the most touted advantage of m-technology. Mobile devices, typically including PDAs, laptops, cellular phones, tablet PCs, and Blackberries, free users of physical ties to the desktop. The “wireless” characteristic of m-technology refers to the method of transmitting information between a computing device and a data source without a physical connection. In recent years there has been a phenomenal growth in the use of mobile devices due to several factors including: low cost of the devices, the only infrastructure choice for many undeveloped/developing countries, changes in lifestyles, and increased functionality. According to eMarketer data, the number of wireless Internet users will

Concept: Electronics services, enabled by the internet or other information networks, enhancing the efficiency of internal processes within business organizations and that of customer support processes. Tools : Value-added networks, internet, PCs, etc.

mobile devices,

Tools : CDMA, mobile handsets, PDAs, etc.

U-Service

Front-Office Applications

Tax/Payment

Concept: A series of activities and processes transforming products and information into a new state desired by the customer, with the participation of the customer, and the results achieved by such activities and processes Tools: Face-to-face contact, human-delivered services,

Concept: Delivery of e-services to eliminating access restrictions.

Back -Office Applications

-Out of office sanctions/transactions, wireless interdepartmental/agency data sharing etc

The different generations of services and their respective characteristics are tabulated in Figure 2. Traditional Services

SERVICES IN M-GOVERNMENT APPLICATIONS

Concept: Intelligent services providing users with real-time access to desired information, from anywhere and at any time Tools: WiBro, RFID, USN and portal devices, etc.

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surpass the number of wired users by the end of 2007, with 56.8% of all Internet users connecting wirelessly [1]. Especially in Africa, where mobile is clearly dominating, fixed telephone lines remain the exception and penetration is at 3 per 100 inhabitants, by far the lowest in the world. The limited availability of fixed lines has also been a barrier to the uptake of fixed broadband and it is most likely that Africa’s broadband market will be dominated by mobile broadband. Falling prices and the increasing licensing and availability of 3G is expected to change this over the coming years [11]. Country wide wireless coverage is factor contributing in higher mobile than land-line penetration even in rural and remote areas [12], especially in developing countries that suffer from insufficient telecommunication infrastructure [13]. In addition, m-Government is particularly suited for the developing world where Internet access rates are low but mobile phone penetration is growing rapidly, particularly in urban areas [6]. Therefore, in developing countries, where, eGovernment applications have faced difficulties, the majority of the population lives in rural areas, and infrastructures are not well developed, m-government is the best solutions in delivering government services to rural communities. Governments in developing countries can start implementing m-government in three different phases. Firstly, applications should be developed to reach citizens in time of crisis such as earthquakes, fire, floods, disease outbreaks etc. These types of services are mainly government to citizen and the flow of information is one way. Secondly, more interactive m-government applications can be developed to allow citizens’ participation in government activities. This will encourage citizens’ participation and enhance democracy and brings accountability. Thirdly, highly interactive m-government applications can be developed. These applications range from simple transactions such as payment of taxes, bills and inquiries to mobile identification cards where a citizens’ mobile phone functions not only as device for making calls but also an identification card, payment wallet, driving license and health insurance card [14].

(compared to income) of owning and using a wireless device, the percentage of people that own and use wireless devices in developed countries is much higher than developing ones (in Hong Kong for example, mobile penetration is 125%). New important technological advances, such as WiBro (wireless broadband) service recently introduced in South Korea, and a greater variety in both platform (different types of devices) and functionalities (convergence of different devices, such as smart phones), have increased the number and types of services that end users in these countries can utilize [1]. Table 2 summarizes some of the existing initiatives in developed countries related to M-Government. TABLE II.

EXAMPLES OF M-GOVERNMENT APPLICATIONS IN LEADING COUNTRIES (SOURCE: [1]) Applications

Government Agencies

Description

SMS alerting services

Hong Kong

-Text messages to mobile phone users during SARS

SMS Notifications

Singapore

-Providing parking ticket reminders, national service obligations, and passport renewal notification.

SMS Notifications

Malta

SMS notifications of court sitting/hearing deferrals, license-renewal, exam results, and direct credit payments

Tax Notification

Norway

-SMS tax returns.

Download non-legally binding content

Japan

-Download information on tourism, disaster prevention, and child rearing

M-Police

Korea

-Police offers retrieve information using mobile devices

mG2C

-Print tickets on the spot Parking enforcement

Anyang, Korea

-Parking inspectors collect parking lot information using PDAs

M-local tax management system

Uijeongbu and Busan, Korea

-Allow officers to access tax information on the spot

mG2E

-Print tickets on the spot

IV.

CASE STUDIES

A. M-Government initiatives in Leading Countries Promoted by demands for a more responsive government, governments all over the world have recognized the potential of m-technology and are exploring the potential utility and feasibility of m-Government. However, mGovernment development worldwide has been uneven. This is attributed to two factors: the development level of eGovernment and m-technologies. M-Government is a value added of e-Government and therefore it will be more advanced wherever a solid foundation (e-Government) exists, for example, in developed countries. Second, m-technologies are quite advanced (such as 3G wireless), cost-effective, and widely used in the developed countries. Because of the relatively lower cost

-Transfer the data to the local tax database

B. M-Government initiatives in Developing Countries There is a very wide range of potential governance related services which can be delivered and communicated via mobile phones, including services relating to health care, agriculture, education, employment, transportation law and order, tax, judicial and legal systems, etc. Mobile payments services now available in East African countries and it open up for even greater opportunities and possibilities for transactions for a variety of public services like transport and school fees. However, integrating systems and back-end is complex [15]. Table 3 tries to summarize some of the

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existing m-government initiatives in developed countries specifically in East Africa related to m-Government.

V.

TABLE III. EXAMPLES OF M-GOVERNMENT APPLICATIONS IN EAST AFRICAN COUNTRIES (RWANDA, KENYA, UGANDA AND TANZANIA) Applications Government News/ Information Updates

Agricultural Services

Financial Services

Government Agencies

Road Safety

Kenya, Transport Licensing Board

Allows commuters to report public vehicles contravening traffic regulations run by Transport Licensing Board of Kenya. Text 2303.

e-service Delivery

Kenya, Ministry of Migration,

Information on progress of identity card (text 2031) and status of passport (text 2032). www.egovernment.go.ke/

Voter Registration

Kenya, Electoral Commission

In the run-up to the 2007 Kenya elections, the Electoral Commission of Kenya (ECK) launched a voter registration service where you could SMS the register by sending your ID number to receive

eSoko Project

Rwanda, (eRwanda, Ministry of Agriculture)

Agricultural Market Price Information System that allows farmers to access prices of agricultural commodities in different markets in Rwanda. It is being implemented with the patronage of the Ministry of Agriculture of Rwanda. Launch 2009.

MPAIS (Marketplace for Information and Services)

Uganda,

MPAIS is a demand driven information and service platform that brings together demand and supply of information and services. Uses SMS to provide information to farmers and extension workers. It's been running since 2005. www.mpaisuganda.com

Utility bill payment (SMS Media, Electrogaz, the national electricity company

Rwanda

Bill payment and E-bill and

Kenya, (Kenya Power

Bill Payment through the mobile phone

& Lighting

E-bill is a electronic bill querying service that allows one to check the electricity account balance and bill due date any time by SMS.

Rwanda

Company Ltd)

Law enforcement

Description

Public Alert System (EFulusi, Tanzania Police)

Tanzania

The service is to sell prepaid electricity scratch cards. Using the proven airtime scratch card model, entrepreneurs purchase the prepaid electricity cards in bulk and then sell them throughout Rwanda.

Tanzanian police have implemented an SMS alert system to allow for anonymous reports on crimes, wrongdoing by police officers, or request emergency services. http://police.efulusi.co.tz/

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CHALLENGIES IN M-GOVERNMENT

In spite of all benefits and advantage discussed so far, there exist challenges which need to be handled during the m-Government implementation. Challenges such as interoperability (roaming, variety of platforms, etc); usability (mobile devices limitations); and privacy protection, etc need to be addressed in m-government. Privacy and Security: Security and privacy are specific concerns in wireless communication because of the case of connecting to the wireless link anonymously. The citizens want that the government agencies should safeguard their key data from moving into the hands of unauthorized agencies or hackers, thus preventing its misuse. For example, in the online payment infrastructure, involving credit cards for online purchases is still a matter of low trust and prone to misuse of the credit card details. Wireless networks use public airwaves for transportation of secured data, making it vulnerable to hackers who can easily intercept and tamper it. Therefore, the planning stage of m-Government should take a special note in selecting appropriate mobile devices, thus ensuring privacy and security. Peoples' Readiness: One of the pre-requisite for mGovernment is the citizens' acceptability and attitude towards it. For instance, in the developing countries, a large percentage of the population is not aware of the meaning and impact of e-Government and m-Government, thus stressing training and education requirement of the people to carry out mobile transactions via mobile technology. Legal Issues: Governments need to consult the public regarding the implementation of m-Government practices. Many countries around the world have not yet adopted the Law of Fair Information Practices, which spells out the rights of data subjects (citizens) and the responsibilities of the data holders (government). In some cases the law does not recognize mobile documents and transactions. Clear legal status for the government functioning, regulations, laws for online transactions, online signing and online taxable transaction needs to be formulated. Compatibility: Mobile services as communication channel between the authority and the citizen requires global standardization of content, semantics and interoperability across agencies and network. The large array of new communication technology opportunities, the rapid emergence and change of standards as well as the variety of mobile devices offering different technical capabilities call for sustainable architecture and technology frameworks in order to meet critical interoperability and scalability requirements. Power limitation: Mobile computers are concerned with the limited power supply, an issue that does not appear in distributed wired environment. Hardware improvements on batteries can help to lengthen the life of a charge and reduce battery weight. In addition, efficient software operations can help to lower the power consumption [9]. Low bandwidth and download speeds: Wireless networks deliver lower bandwidth than wired networks. As a result,

[12] Patel, I. & White, G. 2005, "M-government: South African Approaches and Experiences", EURO mGOV 2005, Brighton, UK, pp. 313-323. [13] Kushchu, I. & Kuscu, M.H. 2003, From E-government to Mgovernment: Facing the In-evitable, mGovlab, . [14] A. Farshid Ghyasi, "m-Government: Cases of Developing Countries", Mobile Government Lab. http://www.mgovlab.org (accessed July 12, 2009). [15] Johan Hellström, "Mobile phones for good governance – challenges and way forward", http://www.w3.org/2008/10/MW4D_WS/papers/hellstrom_gov.pdf, (accessed July 14, 2009). [16] NSN/CTO "Towards effective e-governance: The delivery of public services through local econtent, 2008, Global Summery report", http://www.cto.int/Portals/0/docs/research/towards-effectiveegovernance/Towards_Effective_eGovernance.pdf (accessed July 13, 2009).

mobile applications have to be carefully designed to control the bandwidth consumption. Software techniques required to improve effective bandwidth usage include data compression logging request to combine multiple short ones. High cost of Internet over mobile: In Ghana, for example, it can cost a user $532.48 to download one gigabyte of data over one operator’s GPRS network [16]. VI.

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Mobile-enabled development and mobile government (m-Development and M-Government) are the new frontiers of the development agenda which need to be prioritized by the development community at large. Developing countries should take a closer look at the potential of mobile technologies to enable better access to public information and services for the masses and adjust their current strategies, programs and processes accordingly. M-Government needs to be implemented as integral part of e-Government and m-Government reform initiatives. Moreover, a priority list of several high-impact m-services and a larger list need to be developed for rapid implementation by each government. Government can start in implementing m-government by providing Information provision like messaging retrieval, emergency report response, permit, licensing, registration, and tax/payment. REFERENCES [1]

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