TOKYO MOBILE ROUNDTABLE
■MOBILE ROUNDTABLE
The Mobile Roundtable is a series of international conferences on mobile communication and computing, organized by a group of researchers around the world (the Mobile Roundtable Committee).
The objectives of the Mobile Roundtable are to:
･Build and support a sustainable international network of researchers to study the mobile
communication and computing business, market, and industry
･Exchange research results and views
･Facilitate communication, interactions, and collaborations among researchers, practitioners, and policy makers around the world
The first Mobile Roundtable will be held in Tokyo, Japan in May 2002, followed by the second in Stockholm, Sweden in May 2003 and the third in Austin, Texas, U.S.A. in 2004. Preparatory discussions were made at the Seamless Mobility Workshop in Stockholm in September 2001, organized by the Stockholm School of Economics and Stockholm University and the Royal Institute of Technology.
■BACKGROUND
As we enter the 21st century, our economic system is undergoing some radical changes, including the creation of new products, services, and businesses driven by rapidly advancing information and communication technologies. Innovations in the field of mobile communication and computing have emerged as a pivotal point of such changes.
The use and applications of mobile communication and computing have been spreading rapidly.
The number of mobile telephone subscribers throughout the world totaled 300 million at the end of 1998, and 700 million at the end of 2000. Some projected that mobile phones will surpass personal computers in number as tools to access the Internet in the near future. The concept of mobile phones has gone beyond mere wireless telephones as originally intended. Other devices such as PDAs and wireless LANs have also emerged as alternative interfaces for mobile communication and computing. The possibilities of mobile innovations and the challenge of realizing them are enormous.
What are the characteristics and challenges of the mobile communication and computing market, industry, and business? What innovations are being made and targeted in this field? Where are the mobile communication and computing market, business, and industry headed? Are they institutionally embedded and path dependent? Will the future of mobile computing and communication business and market differ by country/region or converge internationally over time? Who are the major players and how do they compete with each other? What types of management and strategy are being sought? We will explore these topics and promote research on them through the Mobile Roundtable.
■TOKYO MOBILE ROUNDTABLE
The first Mobile Roundtable was held in Tokyo, Japan, on May 30 and 31, 2002. It was organized by the Mobile Roundtable Committee and the Mobile Innovation Research Program at the Institute of Innovation Research (IIR), Hitotsubashi University, Japan. The venue was Ark Academy Hills, located in central Tokyo (http://www.academyhills.com).
Participants included researchers, practitioners, and policy makers around the world who were interested or involved in mobile innovations. Through the two-day meeting, research results, including works in progress, as well as experiences and views of practitioners and policy makers, were presented and discussed. Opportunities for international collaborative research were explored.
■QUESTIONS?
If you have questions about the Tokyo Mobile Roundtable, please contact:
Akira Takeishi, Associate Professor
Institute of Innovation Research, Hitotsubashi University
2-1 Naka, Kunitachi, Tokyo 186-8603, Japan
Phone: +81-(0)42-580-8425
Fax: +81-(0)42-580-8410
Email: takeishi☆iir.hit-u.ac.jp
(to use this email address, please replace the ☆ with an @ mark)
http://www.iir.hit-u.ac.jp/
■MOBILE ROUNDTABLE COMMITTEE