Location-based VAS: killer applications for the next-generation mobile Internet

The reach and scope of commercial (and private) wireless system is expanding at fast pace. Third-generation mobile communication systems (IMT-2000 and Universal Mobile Telecommunication System, UMTS) will deliver voice, graphic, video, and other broadband information directly to the user, regardless of location, network, or terminal. Fourth generation systems promise to extend this even further, providing integrated, seamless services over heterogeneous networks, with higher spectral efficiency and at lower price. The concept of context-awareness involves, to start with, the need to determine and deliver the geographic location of wireless terminals and devices to provide the personalized, customized service the user wants. Most of the currently proposed positioning solutions address specific wireless technologies and short-term market requirements and lack interoperability, simplicity, long-term evolution paths and sometimes the support of major manufacturers and operators. On the other hand, while user devices and interfaces have progressed, Internet transport and communications architecture still utilize legacy solutions and protocols that are often the real cause of traffic congestion and security problems. This paper examines the drivers and issues surrounding the development of mobile Internet-based services and the availability of location information from the wireless networks, independent of their air interfaces and positioning technologies, including the requirements for security, billing, and interoperability, in the context of a comparative analysis of existing and proposed location-positioning technologies and systems. Based on this survey, personalized, context-aware and location-based value-added services (VAS) emerge as an essential ingredient of the killer application cocktail for the next-generation Internet.