Mobile computing solutions are also being applied to B2B and supply chain relationships. These solutions enable organizations to respond faster to supply chain disruptions by proactively adjusting plans or shifting resources related to critical supply chain events as they occur. With the growing interest in collaborative commerce comes the opportunity to use wireless communication to collaborate throughout the supply chain. For this to happen, integration is necessary.
An integrated messaging system is at the heart of B2B communications. By integrating the mobile terminal into the supply chain, it is possible to make mobile reservations of goods, check the availability of a particular item in the warehouse, order a particular product from the manufacturing department or provide security access to obtain sensitive financial data. of a management information system.
An example of an integrated messaging system is wireless telemetry, which combines wireless communications, vehicle monitoring systems, and vehicle location devices. This technology enables large-scale automation of data capture, improved billing timeliness and accuracy, lower overhead than the manual alternative, and higher customer satisfaction through service responsiveness. For example, vending machines can be kept replenished and running reliably through continuous wireless polling of inventory and service status to prevent costly machine downtime.
Mobile devices can also facilitate collaboration between members of the supply chain. No longer is it necessary to call a partner company and ask someone to find certain employees who work with your company. Instead, you can contact these employees directly, on their mobile devices.
By enabling sales force employees to type orders directly into the ERP while at a customer site, companies can reduce administrative errors and improve supply chain operations. By enabling them to check production schedules and inventory levels, and access product configuration and available-to-promise/ability-to-promise (ATP/CTP) functionality for real-time delivery quotes, they empower their sales force to make more competitive and realistic offers to customers. Today’s ERP systems are linked with broader supply chain management solutions that extend visibility at various levels of the supply chain. Mobile supply chain management (mSCM) empowers the workforce to leverage these broader systems through inventory management and ATP/CTP functionality that extends across multiple supply chain partners and has account logistical considerations.
mobile consumer
There are a large number of applications that help consumers and provide personal services. As an example, consider the situation of a person going to an international airport. Tasks like finding the right check-in counter, looking for delayed flights, waiting for lost luggage, and even finding a place to eat or the nearest bathroom can all be assisted by mobile devices.
mobile games
In the handheld segment of the gaming market, Nintendo has been the leader for a long time. By contrast, Nintendo has shown minimal interest in online or mobile gaming. Here, Sega has capitalized on the popularity of games like Sonic the Hedgehog to gain 2.5 million Japanese subscribers for its mobile games and entertainment services. In Japan, where millions of travelers kill time on long train journeys, mobile phone games have become a cultural phenomenon.
With over a billion cell phones in use today, the potential audience for mobile gaming is substantially larger than the market for other platforms, Playstation and game boy included. Due to the potential of the market, Nokia has decided to enter the world of mobile gaming, producing not only the phone/console, but also the games that will be delivered on memory cards. Its goal is to develop and market short-distance multiplayer games (via Bluetooth) and wide-area games.
In July 2001, Ericsson, Motorola, Nokia, and Siemens established the Mobile Game Interoperability Forum (MGIF) (mgif.org) to define a range of technical standards that will make it possible to implement mobile games across multiple game servers, wireless networks, and on different mobile devices. Microsoft is also moving in this field.