Mobile Magazines
Mobile magazines will be magazines on a mobile computing and communication platform (in contrast to print magazines about mobile technologies), providing valuable, current multi-media content. However, there is a gap in the value chain between mobile operators and content publishers, hindering established small and medium sized publishers to enter the mobile market despite its commercial potential. A mobile operator publishing and entertainment platform enables the creation of a new category of mobile service called a mobile magazine. An m-Mag (mobile magazine) eco-system is a next generation mobile publishing service that is made available from a mobile operator’s portal, that is integrated with value added mobile data services and that uses the operator’s billing capabilities to charge consumers for access to the magazine. Using Parlay/OSA as an open approach, the m-Mag platform can integrate into an operator’s network using standardised APIs and is portable across different operator networks. A discussion of the commercial potential analyses the route to the market.