Development Of Mobile Services Research Articles

Mobile Library Services for the Nations of the Extreme North

Population distribution including working and everyday life habits are the governing factors in the development of mobile library services for the nations of the Extreme North. The high population dispersion over vast territories of the Extreme North and Far East, many seasonal communities, and the nomadic way of life determine the priority for such variations of mobile library services as static service points, bookmobiles, and team subscriptions. The present paper provides a review of appropriate variations in the services to the principal occupational groups in the area-reindeerbreeders, hunters, and fishers. It is based on the practical information submitted by state libraries

Competitive, regulatory and spectrum issues affecting the MSS

This paper focuses on three major issues which will affect the development of mobile satellite services around the world in the 1990s. These are (1) competition (2) the regulatory environment and (3) the shortage of MSS spectrum. The paper notes the range of services now available via the MSS and the fact that the cost and size of user equipment have been reduced significantly in recent years. In the not too distant future, personal communicators will be available which will interest a near mass market. However, there are also major risks in developing MSS systems, due to uncertainty of demand, systems costs, growing competition, regulatory and institutional changes and spectrum shortages. The paper emphasizes the benefits of competition, but suggests that due to the shortage of spectrum and risks associated with MSS generally, existing and potential MSS operators should consider more collaboration. Such collaboration could also involve new institutional configurations, at least in the case of Inmarsat.