But even the GSM phones can't all share information. Users within a single European country often cannot send each other text, or SMS, messages via their mobiles because different carriers use different protocols. Mobiles and PDAs also are divided by an interoperability gap. M-commerce must operate the same way anywhere in the world. He says mobile and PDA manufacturers are beginning to work together to settle on standards that will eliminate the problem.
Mobile security is also an issue.
It's accomplished in the form of small programs or digital certificates that identify the user and generate digital signatures. But most American cell phones don't have the tiny SIM smart cards commonly used in Europe to activate and personalize mobiles. And Baltimore's Rooney said two SIM card slots would be necessary for adding security features, but manufacturers have balked at providing them. Security is also a concern at the server end of a transaction, starting with the question of who is controlling the server and where responsibility for the security of a transaction should lie. Subscribers to a wireless service are allowed to roam the content provided by the carrier but not to move beyond those walls.