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News Release from: Informa Telecoms and Media
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial
Team on 13 July 2004
Directive will shape future of mobile
commerce
The impact of the implementation of EU E-Money Directive will prove the most critical consideration for the development of mobile commerce throughout Europe, says a new report.
The impact of the implementation of EU E-Money Directive will prove the most critical consideration for the development of mobile commerce throughout Europe as the telecommunications industry develops content-based solutions delivered over 3G networks, according to a new report from mobile industry analyst, The ARC Group Paul Merry, author of "Mobile transactions in Europe: the challenge of implementation and ramifications of EU directives", argues that legislative developments must be tailored to the specific challenges facing the mobile communications industry and its unique requirements
This article was originally published on Electronicstalk on 26 Jun 2008 at 8.00am (UK)
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Merry believes that it is unwise to rely upon blanket legislation for transactional models developed before the evolution of telecommunication networks from voice-based service delivery mechanisms to content-based service delivery mechanisms.
"By relying upon these old legislative approaches law makers risk destroying the burgeoning mobile payments industry and innovative payment model development, such as mobile parking meter payments, before they can begin to develop", he says.
Problems are also emerging due to the wide disparity in implementation of e-money regulation from country to country; for example e-money issuers in Italy have strict regulatory demands placed on them compared with the relatively laissez faire attitude taken to regulation of mobile transactions in Finland.
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According to Merry this is an immensely dangerous development: some EU members' mobile payments and related content services infrastructure could develop much more quickly than others solely based on their country's legislative approach to implementation of supposedly standard Europe-wide legislation.
Without a balanced approach those operators with strict implementation - and their mobile payments partners (including content partners) - face an unfair disadvantage in competitively developing their business throughout Europe.
It is difficult to foresee how this problem will be overcome.
It is the right of the countries involved to determine, clarify and implement remedial measures of the EU E-Money Directive and its related directives as well as set the punishment for those transgressing regulation.
Comparative, standardised and universal development of mobile payment capabilities across Europe is in the best interests of all parties involved.
Mobile payment could potentially drive mobile service usage and the network development required to compete globally within network-based industries.
The EU's role toward this aim should be as a facilitator acting in an advisory role.
However, in order to undertake this role, Merry emphasises, the EU must first tackle its own standardisation problems.
It has widely-dispersed departments involved in regulating transactions: the European Commission policy development department (DG IS) deals with some areas of mobile payment regulation (policy regulation); the Directorate General Health and Consumer Affairs (SANCO) deals with others (Distance Selling Regulations); and DG Internal Market (MARKT) deals with still others (financial regulation and security issues).
Each department has a different axe to grind - different mandates, policies, guiding principles, spheres of influence and prescribed aims - yet each impacts on aspects of mobile payment regulation in Europe.
ARC Group's "EU mobile transactions in Europe: the challenge of implementation and ramifications of EU directives 2003-2008" is available for GBP 749 (single-user PDF copy) or GBP 1148 (PDF copy for up to 15 users).
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