Standards Competition and the Role of Intermediation in the Supply of Mobile Applications

Abstract

The development of ubiquitous computing and mobile commerce is premised on an infrastructure of interoperable networks, operating systems and applications. As technologies evolve to create this infrastructure this process sometimes gives rise to a standards competition. This research examines such a competition between mobile application development platforms and the resulting intermediation services. In particular, the research describes the nature of these intermediation services and assesses the relative value they represent for standards promulgators, application buyers and suppliers. The findings of asymmetric value suggest that value chain level assessments of intermediation can provide a rich topic of research on technical and industry evolution as well as provide additional insights into the strategic aspects of standards competition for those who start them as well as those affected by them.