World Bank E-Development Thematic Group

World Bank e-Development Thematic Group M-Government Conference – November 29, 2007

Background Note

Mobile services are quickly emerging as the new frontier in transforming government and making it even more accessible and citizen-centric by extending the benefits of remote delivery of government services and information to those who are unable or unwilling to access public services through the Internet or who simply prefer to use mobile devices. In theory, many government services can be now made available on a 24x7x365 basis at any place in the world covered by mobile networks, which today means almost everywhere. According to an estimate by R. Chandrashekar, Additional Secretary (e-Gov), Government of India, approximately 50 to 60% of government services in India can be delivered via mobile channel. This emerging trend in public service delivery has been called "Mobile Government" (M-Government) and is part of a broader phenomenon of mobile-enabled development (m-development) or leveraging the mobile revolution to enable development impact.

The development of mobile communication technology has created a new avenue for information exchange capable of reaching out to a much greater number of people than traditional wired methods. This technology has high potential to increase access to public services in areas where infrastructure constraints exist. The penetration of mobile phone technology compared to internet technology in the developing world – 32.4% for mobile phones vs. 10.2% for internet access – reveals a strong opportunity for governments to provide services to citizens without Internet access. Mobile phones have the unique advantage of being able to reach areas where the infrastructure necessary for internet service or wired phone service is not a viable option, and the rapidly increasing number

of 6 of mobile phone users in developing countries reflects the demand for connectivity in these areas.

The relative low cost of mobile phone technology versus internet technology has drastically lowered the entry barriers for citizens in developing countries to be connected to government services. Mobile phones allow citizens to get access to government services virtually in any place covered by a mobile network. Mobile devices are also easier to learn and to use by the elderly and blue-collars. There is a very wide range of potential government services which can be delivered via mobile phone, including services relating to health, education, employment, police, tax, judicial and legal systems, etc. Payments and financial services are also possible through mobile phones, which drastically expands the opportunities to incorporate m-services into the everyday lives of citizens. Mobile phone technology can also considerably expand the scope of e- democracy and e-participation, engaging citizens in democratic decision-making through various polls, m-voting, and other forms of communication between citizens and the government.

Several factors are fueling the demand for mobile services, including 1) the penetration of mobile technology and the relative low cost of entry into mobile connectivity, 2) the convergence of wired internet and telecommunication networks, allowing information once only available on a computer to be received through mobile phones, and 3) the shift towards higher data transfer rates and 3G services which promises to make more information available at faster speeds.

Examples of m-government services are in place in both developed and developing countries around the world:  Citizens in the Philippines are able to send text messages to police to report crimes, anonymously report inappropriate police activities and corruption, and to request emergency services.  UAE provides a wide range of m-services, allowing citizens to pay traffic fines, request airline flight information, inquire about trade license status, etc.

of 6  Singapore has over 150 m-services, including passport renewal, tax services, statistical information (GDP predictions, Consumer Price Index, etc.), work permit applications, information on upcoming sittings of parliament, information on trials and hearings.  In Malta, m-education services have been implemented, allowing students to receive test scores via SMS messaging. Besides, citizens and businesss can use their mobile devices to file complaints about government agencies’ actions (or inactions), receive notifications about sittings of the court, alerts on incoming pension and social payments, updates on licenses’ prolongations from government agencies.  In the Estonian city of Tartu, 50% of parking payments are made through mobile devices, visitors can get tourist information through their cell phones, teachers can send messages to students and parents, all citizens can send sms or call regarding utility issues, such as non-working street lamps, broken part benches, etc.  In Austria, train e-tickets can be purchased by the passengers before boarding the train.  In Amsterdam, the Netherlands and London, UK, the hearing-impaired people can receive vibro-sms alerts in emergency situations, while in California sms alerts are sent out in the case of electricity outages.

While m-government has great potential to vastly expand access to public services to the poorest segments of the population in areas where wired telecommunications and ICT services do not exist, there are still limits to its capabilities. Several constrains exist which may potentially inhibit the growth of m-government services in developing nations: 1) The physical limitations of mobile technology (small screen size, limited text input, etc) may restrict the amount of information that is easily sent or received. 2) In many areas, the mobile user is charged a fee for not just for sent SMS messages but also for received messages, placing financial limitations on the amount of information governments can cost-effectively provide to citizens.

of 6 3) Though minimal in comparison with wired networks, physical infrastructure is still necessary for mobile applications and services to be available in rural areas. 4) Payment and financial options require existing financial structures which are compatible with mobile technology, such as credit cards and bank accounts

Issues for discussion:

• According to the ITU, the total number of mobile users worldwide as of late 2006 was about 2.7 billion and the number of internet users was just above 1.1 billion. Does this provide a strong case for leveraging the mobile channel to dramatically improve access to public services to those who can afford to use a personal or shared mobile phone (e.g. as in Village Phone programs)? Does this create an opportunity to connect in the near future the next two billion people to the benefits of e-government, e-health, e-education, e-banking and e-commerce? How does the mobile channel compare to other popular service delivery channels such as face-to-face, the Internet, call centers or television? • How exactly can Mobile Government transform the lives of common people in developing countries? What are best examples of such impact? What are the types of services which can be easily provided on mobile phones/devices ("quick wins") and what the more strategic high-impact services ("killer applications")? • What are the key constraints to making this vision a reality? What are the critical success factors and lessons learned? • Should the government agencies and the development community take this opportunity to drastically improve access to information and services much more seriously? How should governments and donors change the way they do business to take full advantage of mobile technologies? • What is the role of the private sector? Are there successful business models (e.g. PPP) for private sector companies to support value-added m-government services?

M-Government Resources and Case Studies Case Studies:

Municipal Administration in China – case study on the implementation of an m- governance strategy for managing municipal administration (urban infrastructure, housing, environment protection, city appearance) in Beijing. http://www.mgov.cn/ICEG_2006_paper.pdf

Overview of m-government strategy - Macedonia http://www.mgovernment.org/resurces/euromgov2005/PDF/5_R368AL.pdf

Analysis of m-government in South Africa, both existing structures and potential expansions

of 6 http://topics.developmentgateway.org/e-government/rc/filedownload.do~itemId=379174

M-government services in Dubai http://www.mdubai.ae/

Listing of 150 m-government services in Singapore http://www.ecitizen.gov.sg/mobile/index.html

M-services in Estonia http://www.mobisolutions.com/docs/mestoniabitr.pdf

“Mobile District” project in Moscow, Russia (in Russian) http://www.zelao.ru/ru/3/22487/22504/

Other Resources:

Extensive listing of mobile applications throughout the world – International Telecommunications Union http://www.itu.int/osg/spu/ni/futuremobile/content/messaging.html

Articles on m-government services, studies, papers http://topics.developmentgateway.org/egovernment/rc/BrowseContent.do~source=RCCo ntentUser~folderId=2893?source=RCContentUser&folderId=2893

Employment Services – The Department of Labor in the Philippines provides a service to job seekers which sends information via SMS on both domestic and international employment opportunities. http://www.dole.gov.ph/news/details.asp?id=N000001267

Financial Services – Global project to permit money remittances to be received on mobile phones in India. http://www.bharti.com/129.0.html?&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=202&tx_ttnews %5BbackPid%5D=128&cHash=22b5e5f70b

Law Enforcement – Philippine police have implemented an SMS service to allow for anonymous reports on crimes, wrongdoing by police officers, or request emergency services. http://www.pnp.gov.ph/index.html

Democracy and Governance - Mobile Election Monitors of Nigeria use SMS messaging to monitor elections from voting sites and coordinate at a central location to ensure impartial elections. http://www.mobilemonitors.org/index.html

of 6 Agricultural Services – Agriwatch provides Indian agricultural market and technical information to subscribers via SMS messages. http://www.agriwatch.com/

Overview articles on m-government in Russian: http://www.cnews.ru/reviews/free/gov2007/articles/mobile.shtml http://www.pcweek.ru/themes/detail.php?ID=82854 http://www.connect.ru/article.asp?id=6351 http://www.microsoft.com/Rus/Government/events/glc2000/conf_2000_17.mspx