Wireless Network Design: Optimization Models and Solution ...

370 Khiem Le
results to the doctor at the base hospital via a videoconference, and then the patient
interacts with the doctor. The personnel then follows up on the doctor’s advice by
handing out prescriptions, filling out referral forms, or creating glasses. They may
also refer the patient to the base hospital for further examinations or treatments such
as cataract surgery.
An example of eCommerce is the integrated solution developed by Nokia Siemens
Networks (NSN), that enables businesses to reach rural consumers via their local
village shops [27]. A key challenge experienced in many remote rural regions is the
inability of businesses to reach consumers due to insufficient distribution and information
systems. Many rural small and medium retail/distribution players cannot
afford to be online, and so their business remains tied to the traditional form of local
village shops with limited goods to sell. However, rural consumers have sufficiently
high spending power to demand a wider choice of rich information and high quality
products at good prices. The solution is proven in a joint project between NSN and
Fujian Mobile in Fujian Province in China. The model enables a bigger business
(product supplier) to use small local businesses (village retail shops) to promote and
sell its products to rural consumers. It also offers CSPs the opportunity to tap into
the potentially powerful new business model of Business to Business to Consumer
(B2B2C) services. The solution provides a flow of up-to-date and accurate product
information via a Catalog Sales Platform, a mobile means of cash payment on delivery,
and cost-effective, reliable product delivery based on the existing rural logistics
system. Mobile phones are an essential part of the Catalog Sales Platform service
logic, even when only simple SMS notifications are used. Everyone (supplier, retailpoint
owners, and rural consumers) has a phone and can be contacted instantly. This
is a new Internet service delivery approach with three key characteristics: (i) an end
to end, integrated Information and Communications Technology (ICT) business solution
based on shared Internet access that cuts the cost of using ICT by aggregating
the needs and spending power of the local community, (ii) ICT empowerment of local
entrepreneurs that links their existing local businesses into a new value creation
ecosystem, and (iii) a sustainable business model for traditional operators that helps
them to explore new revenue potential from B2b2C services.
In the mobile banking (or m-banking) case, the mobile phone, along with the
associated trust relationship with the CSP, becomes a means of extending financial
services to people without bank accounts [23]. M-banking allows these people to
save, borrow, and remit safely, without having to rely on insecure cash transactions.
Examples of services are person-to-person transfers, utility bill payments, and payments
to purchase goods and services. M-banking can even remove the need for
cash dispensing infrastructure (ATMs), or even retail banking offices, as every user
with a mobile phone can act as an ATM, by exchanging cash in return for a mobile
money transaction. The ecosystem involves a CSP and a bank, and requires the
appropriate support of regulators and policy makers. The technology enablers are
based on SMS and SIM Application Toolkit (ATK), which are available in most
low end mobile devices. Since the marginal cost of m-banking on top of the existing
infrastructure is low, banks can create new, viable business out of offering
m-banking to low income groups. M-banking has been deployed in South Africa