Extra Muscle

Bureaucrats, who have traditionally tried to pass the accountability on
boiling governance issues, are converting themselves to 'm-savvy' business
managers. Most of the state governments which were the early adopters of
e-governance programs, have begun investing in mobile governance projects. But
creating awareness about utility services among the mobile users, who currently
enjoy voice and SMS services, is still a big task.

While we do not have any statistics to establish that m-governance would
bring in transparency and contribute to GDP substantially, projects have taken
off well in many states despite teething troubles in the initial phase.

This is one space where ARPU hungry operators are actively looking to invest
funds. Operators' m-initiatives will add extra muscle to their topline,
especially when they are expanding aggressively in rural areas. Besides
operators, which need to deal with low ARPU business in the initial phase, VAS
players play a key role in building the momentum. Their focus on creating
regional content and voice SMS has already yielded result in removing the
language barriers.

Recently, Spice Digital roped in Zoom Developers to roll out m-governance
services from common service centers in Himachal Pradesh. As part of this, VAS
will be offered through 600 CSCs, while 400 more such centers will be set up in
the state. This initiative boosts employment opportunities for locals who will
be trained by Zoom.

Users of m-governance projects, who can access information on agriculture,
horticulture, weather report, passport details, government schemes, etc, do not
mind paying a premium fee to access certain information. This will boost the VAS
revenue of operators. But regular update of information and seamless
connectivity will be the key to ensure satisfaction of customers.

Recently, MobWe Wireless and Kerala Tourism conducted a WAP and SMS based
contest on different tourist destinations in Kerala, aimed at consumers in other
states in India and European countries. This reflects that states are looking
for business beyond borders using m-platforms.

Funded by the union government, a Rs 12 crore project will be set up in Tamil
Nadu to spearhead m-initiatives. In Chennai, public can access data on food
stocks available at their nearest ration shops. Supply officers were given cell
phones which can be accessed by the public. Real-time update is assisting the
Chennai Corporation to assess revenue flow from property tax collection for any
given day.

M-governance projects have started reaping benefits since private and public
service providers are pushing for business. We need more state governments to
come forward to monetize from the system.

Baburajan K

baburajank@cybermedia.co.in