That could include parking meter fees, taxi rides, or ordering pizza. Sounds promising, but the companies hoping to capitalize on m-commerce must overcome big obstacles. Cell-phone and PDA interfaces remain clunky and hard to use. They're difficult to navigate. Some models overheat.
Standardization is another challenge.
U.S. wireless carriers work on different network standards than their European or Asian counterparts. That lack of uniformity makes it harder to create an international m-commerce coverage area. And wireless operators still have to figure out viable m-commerce business models. They could resemble traditional advertising and commerce models, charging a percentage commission or flat rate per use. But carriers might not have a business model for another year or so, until more people begin to use wireless Internet, say analysts.