India, for example, has introduced e-payment for some governmental services to avoid corruption and bribery [ 1].

• M-government increases efficiency and effectiveness of government employees. With the help of m-technology, government employees can access the information needed in real time and update records on the spot. This not only reduces some burden of logistics and decreases data entry errors but also facilitates employees to make informed decisions and actions.

 

Finally, m-government can open up additional channels for citizen participation, thus increasing constituent participation. Communication through mobile devices encourages citizens to make use of the technology to express their points of view to government officials, lawmakers, and community representatives.

 

M-GOVERNMENT INITIATIVES IN THE 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, m-government development worldwide has been uneven. This is attributed to two factors: the development level of e-government 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 (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. Consequently, while m-technology can help remove infrastructure challenges and present tremendous opportunities for the development and growth of m-government in less-developed countries, m-government applications are prevalent in the developed

countries. Thus, we will focus our discussion of m-government practices in the following regions/countries.

North America. In the U.S., m-government projects have proliferated. Virginia has been a leader in implementing m-government applications. Its “My Mobile Virginia” was the first wireless state portal in the nation that made government services available via mobile and wireless devices [ 7]. It offers a variety of downloadable information on handheld devices including emergency weather conditions, legislative information, lobbyist lists, election notices, tax-related information, and tourism information.

Text messages have also been used by government agencies to communicate with citizens. For instance, the Parking Day text service in Iowa sends text messages to drivers reminding them to move their cars on street-cleaning days and opposite side of the street days. These reminders can help drivers avoid getting tickets. “My California on the Go” was introduced in July 2001 as a way for citizens to receive immediate updates on energy warnings, traffic jams, state lottery results, and press releases from the governor’s office.

The Global Positioning System (GPS) is used to provide the Mobile Traffic Map in Seattle to help commuters make better drive-time choices using a small-form-factor device. The traffic map covers 176 miles of the area’s major freeways and provides instantaneous information on traffic slowdowns, traffic lights, and traffic flows.

In Canada, the “Government of Canada Wireless Portal” is an evolving project that enables citizens to access government information using mobile devices. Services and information currently available include: members of the Parliament contact information, border wait time, economic indicators, passport services, and Canadian government news releases.

The large number of mobile government work forces such as those involved in law and compliance enforcement, transportation and logistics, and health and social services, depend on deployment of IEE and G2G mobile applications. Police officers can be equipped with mobile devices to access databases, issue tickets, check vehicle registrations and license tags, among other things. Examples include Wi-Fi networks in San Francisco, CA and Lincoln, NE where police officers have in-vehicle access to a variety of broadband applications such as crime databases, record-management systems, and traffic-video feeds. Field inspectors can also benefit from IEE applications using mobile devices to check inspection results, issue violations on the spot, print inspection reports, and transmit inspection information wirelessly to the agency’s database. The GPS system can track a work-