Event
Summary
In April, EC-Gate announced the launch of their Business-to-Business Wireless
ASP (WASP) during the Bouw-RAI exhibition in Amsterdam, the AmericasTelecom
conference in Rio de Janeiro, and the ITAC Procurement conference in Ottawa.
Through its alliance with Ericsson and Telfort, EC-Gate has created a
wireless cybermarket for the Dutch construction industry, EC-Bouw. Leveraging
the Internet, EC-Gate provides its community of trading partners with
a collaborative commerce solution.
EC-Gate's
solution enables B2B transactions within multiple vertical markets in
a real-time, virtual environment, with the power of the Internet and the
continuous reach and versatility of wireless communications.
"We
are able to establish a whole new level of interaction within the B2B
markets," said Sebastian Kuntz, CEO of EC-Gate. "EC-Gate offers businesses
a wide array of services ranging from online trading communities to advanced
back-office solutions, allowing all participants to transact business
via fixed or mobile devices, regardless of company size or in-house technology."
"We believe the use of wireless technology is an important step toward
achieving a truly next-generation collaborative commerce solution for
businesses," stated EC-Gate's President, Ivan Zasarsky. "Our success in
expanding EC-Gate's wireless technology into a number of distinct vertical
markets suggests the vast industry potential of the WASP paradigm."
Market
Impact
EC-Gate's alliance with Ericsson and Telfort has positioned the company
to enable trading communities in the B2B market utilizing both wireless
and fixed Internet technology. Through its international presence and
a growing number of partnerships, EC-Gate is expanding its vertical communities
and creating new economies of scale across multiple industries and several
continents. EC-Gate supports international marketplaces with B2B solutions
in the Financial, Transportation and Logistics, Retail, Construction,
and Catering industries.
With more than 70 million cellular phone users in the United States alone,
the adoption of wireless technology is increasing. Most, if not all, new
mobile phones come equipped with limited web browsing, text display and
send/receive functionality. Manufactures estimate more than 10 million
new phones will be shipped in 2000. These numbers, extended to wireless
applications on a global level, represent a tremendous market.
User
Recommendations
While this announcement is interesting, the delivery of full service e-commerce
solutions via PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants) or mobile phones is still
under development. Within the global environment transport protocols,
screen size, rich text retrieval, privacy and transmission speed issues
still require resolution.
If you are selecting a wireless application, identify which features are
currently available and what locations can support the required functionality.
EC-Gate's efforts may offer unique solutions, however, we recommend users
consider these factors when selecting an e-commerce application.