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 Mobile phones subscriptions have outnumbered Internet
connections in both developed and developing countries, and
mobile cellular is becoming the most rapidly adopted technology
in history and the most popular and widespread personal
technology in the world. Access to mobile networks is available
to 90% of the world population, and to 80 % of the population
living in rural areas, according to ITU World Telecommunication/ICT
Indicators database; and among OECD countries mobile
subscriptions grew at a compounded annual growth rate of 10 %
over the previous two years according to the OECD Communications
Outlook 2009.
Given this unparalleled advancement of mobile communication
technologies, governments are turning to m-government to realize
the value of mobile technologies for responsive governance and
measurable improvements to social and economic development,
service delivery, operational efficiencies and active citizen
engagement. The interoperability of mobile applications, which
support quick access to integrated data and location-based
services, paves indeed the way for innovative public sector
governance models - also called mobile governance or
m-governance - based on the use of mobile technology in support
of public services and information delivery.
The report highlights the critical potential of mobile
technologies for improved public governance, as well as for
economic and social progress towards the achievement of the
internationally agreed development agenda defined in the
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The in-depth analysis of
the prerequisites for m-government, its main benefits and
challenges, the value-chain and the key stakeholders, and the
checklist of concrete actions intend to sustain policy makers in
monitoring and updating their knowledge on m-government, and to
draw on its implications for public sector governance, public
service delivery, and smarter and more open government.
Whether it is an electronic wallet card linked to a mobile phone
in Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, or the Philippines;
voting, registration or election monitoring in Morocco, Kenya,
Estonia and Ukraine; support for farmers with weather forecast
information and market price alerts in Malaysia, Uganda, India
and China; or co-ordination of real-time location data for
emergency response in Turkey, the United States and France,
mobile technologies are enhancing dynamic interactions between
citizens and government, creating further opportunities for open
and transparent government.
“M-Government: Mobile Technologies for Responsive Governments
and Connected Societies” is a unique report as it is the
result of the joint-work of the International Telecommunication
Union (ITU), the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and
Development (OECD) and the United Nations Department of Economic
and Social Affairs (UNDESA). Recognising the ubiquity of public
good governance principles, and the existence of opportunities
and challenges commonly shared by governments worldwide, the
three organisations aim to offer a call for action to all member
countries to be strategic in moving ahead in implementing
m-visions that drive public sector change and strengthen its
good governance.
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