The formation of the Asia Mobile Electronic Services Alliance (AMESA) Monday brought together 15 industry leaders from various sectors in order to build an infrastructure to support secure mobile electronic services in Singapore, Hong Kong, and other Asian markets.
Access to electronic services such as e-banking, e-commerce, bill payment,
trading, and information will be made available securely from mobile
devices instead of only at fixed terminals such as computers and
multi-media kiosks.
“In this instance, the initiative can best be describe as a convergence
between e-commerce, Internet, and mobile services,” said BG Lee Hsien Yang,
president and CEO of the Singapore Telecom Group.
Led by Standard Chartered Bank which will provide the regional financial
infrastructure, this alliance will also look into the use of multi-function
smart cards based on Visa’s Open Platform and the Public Key Infrastructure
(PKI).
Partners such as Singapore’s SingTel Mobile, SingNet, and Hong Kong’s
SmarTone will bring to the alliance their mobile and Internet networks.
Gemplus Technologies and Microsoft will provide the multi-function smart
card technology based on Visa Open Platform while Ericsson, Motorola, and
Nokia will contribute their mobile communications technology.
Certification authorities such as Singapore Post and Hongkong Post are also
involved to provide domestic and cross border electronic ID services.
National research institutes such as the National University of Singapore,
the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and the Open University
of Hong Kong will conduct the R&D, market surveys, and pilots in their
respective campuses.
These services are expected to be commercially available in the
second half of 2000, first in Singapore and Hong Kong.
