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Box 5.2: Karnataka app M-One
Karnataka state in India launched its ambitious mobile governance project on December 10,
2014. It is the first of its kind in the country. M-One will act as a single window to 637 services
offered by the government, both central and state. More importantly, it will link the consumer
to 3 644 private services at one touch. The platform has a voice portal that can be accessed
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through any phone - landline or mobile - and also via computers, laptops and tablets.

The mobile app allows citizens to pay utility bills for electricity, pay property taxes, apply for a
host of permits such as driving licences or passports, pay traffic violation penalties, book tickets
on rail and road transport, etc. People can even lodge complaints with civil authorities, and the
government is considering a women's safety app. Over 3 500 services related to healthcare and
transport are also available.

M-One allows citizens to access many of these services even without a smart phone. The
platform has a voice portal that can be accessed through any phone - landline or mobile - and also
via computers, laptops and tablets. Consumers can call in and work through the interactive voice
response system, send SMS messages, or use the services via the smart phone app for Android or
Apple devices. All local languages and English will work. The project was devised by Karnataka's
e-governance department in January 2013, with a goal of ensuring that "whatever is accessible
on the computer to the urbanite will now be available to everyone, including those in remote
areas and those who are travelling, at their fingertips."

Mobile phone penetration in India, according to a June survey by TRAI, the telecommunication
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regulator, is 942.9 million. In Karnataka, 55 million of the 64 million people own mobile phones.
This is far more than the personal computer penetration rate, which is an estimated 10 per cent
of India's 1.25 billion population. Karnataka is working on integrating a pre-paid mobile wallet
into the app, which will allow citizens to pay for any services, including utility bills and taxes.

Undeniably, markets continue to become more within the digital ecosystem, and this has raised
complex. Mobile network operators (MNOs) privacy concerns related to consumers’ use of
have become the custodians of sensitive data mobile technology. Are consumers able to make
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128 Trends in Telecommunication Reform 2016