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Location-based Security for Wireless Apps

developerWorks writes "Studies by industry analysts forecast even greater demand for wireless and mobile devices, creating substantial opportunities for wireless device application and service providers. Faced with an increasingly difficult challenge in raising both average revenue per user (ARPU) and numbers of subscribers, wireless carriers and their partners are developing a host of new products, services, and business models based on data services. This article looks at location-based services, security, and how they boost both service and revenue."

60 comments

  1. My radio... by Economist · · Score: 2, Funny

    ... is supposed to be wireless too, but the one time i took a screwdriver to check ... i found out i was really f*cked by that salesman ;-)

    1. Re:My radio... by Fizzl · · Score: 2, Funny

      This reminds me of a company my friend used to work for. the companys main product was (is?) wireless hardware for net-access. His supervisor didn't always think everything throught.
      Best example was once he stormed into the server room which was in middle of re-arragment and tripped on one ethernet cable that was laying near the doorway. The boss promptly proceeded to yank the cable out of the machine it was attached to, screaming: "What the f*ck is this!?! We are supposed to be WIRELESS!!".

      Friend promised: "I will explain you as fast as you plug that back in, I believe few hundred of our customers don't want to wait till I explain to you exactly what that wire is for..."

    2. Re:My radio... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      "i was really f*cked by that salesman"

      Your keyboard is missing the U key. That salesman really fucked you this time. You should consider shopping elsewhere.

  2. Not another buzzword by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny



    Faced with an increasingly difficult challenge in raising both average revenue per user (ARPU)

    I swear, if ARPU becomes the next buzzword, I'll die!

    1. Re:Not another buzzword by HiQ · · Score: 3, Funny

      It's about money, money, money: so rest assured that this is going to be a buzzword, a buzzword with an ever growing importance. But we give you our solemn pledge that we'll visit the grave of the anonymous coward!

    2. Re:Not another buzzword by whovian · · Score: 1

      [gripe] Huh? Year-long contracts don't provide enough revenue already? [/gripe]
      While mobile communications are a partial extension of the internet, I cannot see why advertising wouldn't eventually appear in the wireless realm.

      --
      To-do List: Receive telemarketing call during a tornado warning. Check.
    3. Re:Not another buzzword by 15001500 · · Score: 1

      It does make good slang: "Hey you cut me off!" "ARP-U, buddy!"

    4. Re:Not another buzzword by anjrober · · Score: 1

      Too late. ARPU has been a buzzword for a while. Gartner uses it all over the place. Its all over the telco space.

    5. Re:Not another buzzword by EatHam · · Score: 1

      It does for me already (at least for my T-Mobile cell phone). I have to listen to that chick read ads to me before I can check my voicemail. Well, I can skip it, but she has one hell of a sexy voice, plus they reward me for listening with free minutes.

  3. Wireless and Global Positioning by Gary+Franczyk · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Though it sounds a little bit "big-brothery" for my wireless device to know where I am at all times, I know that it is going to happen anyway. They can already triangulate the location of your cellphone. We might as well use it for location specific apps.

    I can think of TONS of great apps that would be location specific. For instance, a GPS that would tell you where the nearest Pizza Hut is. A Or a two-way radio or other device that also told you WHERE the other person is. Paying tolls automatically is a good one too.

    1. Re:Wireless and Global Positioning by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They already know where you are located when you use the phone from home or at the office. What the fuck is your problem?

    2. Re:Wireless and Global Positioning by October_30th · · Score: 2, Funny

      But, but... if you're a fugitive on the run and you have to call your estranged wife for some money, clothes and food using the mobile phone you stole from the prison guard you wrestled to the ground during your daring escape, you DON'T want them to track that phone down!!

      --
      The owls are not what they seem
    3. Re:Wireless and Global Positioning by JoeGrind · · Score: 1

      Here's your two-way radio that tells you where the other person is. Garmin Rino Looks interesting.

    4. Re:Wireless and Global Positioning by Kaa · · Score: 2

      Though it sounds a little bit "big-brothery" for my wireless device to know where I am at all times, I know that it is going to happen anyway.

      It's OK for my wireless device to know (and tell others) where I am as long I can turn this service off any time I want to. I'm fine with a cellphone that transmits location info, but only if I can switch off this location transmission and still use the device as a regular cellphone. Otherwise I'll have problems with it.

      I can think of TONS of great apps that would be location specific. For instance, a GPS that would tell you where the nearest Pizza Hut is. A Or a two-way radio or other device that also told you WHERE the other person is. Paying tolls automatically is a good one too.

      Funny how location-based apps have trouble going beyond the insurmountable problem of locating the nearest Pizza Hut or the great idea of generating pop-up ads on your cell phone any time you walk past a store.

      Note that my GPS can tell me where the nearest Pizza Hut is without transmitting my location to anyone.

      If you have a two-way radio and you are in contact with that other person, why don't you just ASK him where he is??

      Paying tolls also works quite well with very-short-range transmissions and, again, my location is usually stored in a database, but there is no need to transmit to anyone in real-time.

      --

      Kaa
      Kaa's Law: In any sufficiently large group of people most are idiots.
    5. Re:Wireless and Global Positioning by GeorgeH · · Score: 2

      My phone already does this. I have AT&T's GSM service and I can find stuff reasonably close to where I am. Oh, there's a press release about it. My experience with the location service is pretty favorable, the "find-a-friend" feature is fun to show off too.

      --
      Why can't I moderate something "Wrong" or at least "Grossly Misinformed"?
    6. Re:Wireless and Global Positioning by gorilla · · Score: 2

      I've already got a GPS which will tell me where the nearest pizza hut is. Garmin Vista loaded with Mapquest Metroguide.

  4. gonna take more than that... by Slack0ff · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Wireless security is still many inovations away fomr being as secure as a land line. I personally would never do anything over wireless that I would not do on a public computer, the idea of truly securing wireless is easier said then done.

    --
    Everyday You see me is the worst day of my life -Office Space
    1. Re:gonna take more than that... by Slack0ff · · Score: 1, Funny

      Just to appoligize before someone else points it out, yes I did misspell from... im a dumbass, exuse my stupidity

      --
      Everyday You see me is the worst day of my life -Office Space
    2. Re:gonna take more than that... by Secure42 · · Score: 1

      >I personally would never do anything over wireless
      >that I would not do on a public computer

      You are right to say that wireless networks are far away nowadays for being a safe medium, but to compare with a public computer is going to far.
      If you are protected by ssl (https, pops, ssh, imaps) your transactions are safe, but in a public computer risk are much bigger, as keyboards loggers.

    3. Re:gonna take more than that... by Dr.+Manhattan · · Score: 2
      Wireless security is still many inovations away from being as secure as a land line.

      Yup, and securing based on location can throw away the key benefit of wireless access. If you have to be in a particular area to access certain apps or information, what's the benefit of going wireless? Just hook up to a wire and get better bandwidth.

      Yes, okay, it'd be nice wander all over our corporate headquarters and still keep access to my files and such, but Xterms and thin clients already offer that, with much less risk of wardriving.

      --
      PHEM - party like it's 1997-2003!
  5. Hrmm by acehole · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Shouldnt there be a 802.11b/wireless topic?

    --
    Be you Admins? nay, we are but lusers!
  6. Not again by Marijuana+al-Shehi · · Score: 2, Interesting
    wireless carriers and their partners are developing a host of ... business models

    Developing business models a la myextremefuneral.com? I hope all the VCs learned their lesson during the last gold rush: the only viable business model consists of selling a product or service for a profit.

    --
    "I think all foreigners should stop interfering in the internal affairs of Iraq"
    -- Paul Wolfowitz, 7/21/2003
  7. Regardless of location, the screens are too small. by dagg · · Score: 4, Funny
    There just isn't enough room on my cell-phone screen to fit any (more) advertisements. Besides... what difference does it make where I am? There is always a Starbucks within a one-block radius.
    --
    Your sex on the go.
    --
    Sex - Find It
  8. And yet... by YanceyAI · · Score: 2, Funny

    Wireless is nifty, but I won't really be happy until a chip in my brain is recieving data and I get a nice little readout in my peripheral vision. Neruomancer anyone?

    --
    Can I bum a sig?
    1. Re:And yet... by Economist · · Score: 1

      That would certainly be handy during exams and such...

    2. Re:And yet... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Actually the purpose of exams is to check your abilities, failing that part means that you picked your nose during the training courses. If you need to cheat exams, you are a retard!

  9. Re:Regardless of location, the screens are too sma by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny
    There just isn't enough room on my cell-phone screen to fit any (more) advertisements

    We're working on that! The next generation of cell phones will have a second screen just for popups. Thanks for the tip--we're securing a patent at the present.

    Love,
    The Industry

  10. Location information for security? by dachshund · · Score: 2, Funny
    The only interesting thing in that article is the notion that companies will use location info as a security measure to insure that you really are where you say you are, or to track people down when they do illegal stuff over their phone.

    I can just picture it now-- I get my PIN wrong three times trying to check my bank balance, and two cops come over and arrest me.

    1. Re:Location information for security? by Evil+Adrian · · Score: 2

      This is where survival of the fittest comes into play. Eventually, we will have a society of people who enter their PIN numbers, perfectly! Gene purity at last!

      --
      evil adrian
    2. Re:Location information for security? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      I can just picture it now-- I get my PIN wrong three times trying to check my bank balance, and two cops come over and arrest me.

      Huh?

      You can't remember four digits? I have two credit cards, one debit card and a keycard to my workplace and I've never missed a PIN number.

      Maybe you should read up on memorization techniques.

  11. Paying EZP ass and other electronic tolls by notestein · · Score: 0

    EZP ass?!? Is this some kind of wireless billing for overweight highway users? This is just wrong!

  12. So basically, by sawilson · · Score: 4, Insightful

    What I'm reading is that they are trying to figure
    out a way to stuff more features into wireless
    computing so they can charge more for those features.
    Also, (as mentioned by an earlier poster) they'll
    have the ability to figure out where you are at
    all times so they can specifically target you with
    information that they think you'll need. Sounds like
    doubleclick.net would love to get in on this. It would
    be the next level in geek fetish toys. The ezpass
    thing, (as said earlier) is cool though. Not to
    mention:

    Ads popping up as you drive by places telling you
    what you should buy there. Example - You just passed Dick Monalds and our McRib is only a buck
    today!

    Or, Playing at the theatre today, this movie, that
    movie. This cool one starts in 5 minutes!

    As long as there are serious user controls, this
    could be a cool thing. The interface is going to
    have to be freaking stellar and unobtrusive to
    keep people from sending their SUV's through
    krogers when their cellphone, pager, and pda all
    go off at once.

    1. Re:So basically, by kableh · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Ahh, the free market at work =)

      Location based services is one of the features the product my company has developed offers. The concept is the same as with GPS, or triangulation in general. However, one thing calculating location within the network offers over GPS is the ability to calculate position relative to other users and/or infrastructure. This has amazing implications for use in automobiles and other transportation apps. When the Firestone tires on your SUV blowout, your car could signal back to other cars raising an alarm perhaps, warning other drivers, slowing down traffic, etc. It might even be the first step towards "smart highways".

      And of course, if you are as directionally deficient as I am, knowing where you are all the time would be a good start =). Location information coupled with real-time, up to date maps would make sure I never get lost again.

    2. Re:So basically, by sawilson · · Score: 2

      This reminds me of a startup I was involved with
      a while ago. The idea was that your palm VII would
      signal the airport billing system when you got there and automatically
      get you a ticket on your prefered airline. We were
      actually most of the way there until PSI.net starting
      having delusions of granduer and bought metamore out
      from under us. We even had a way figured out to make
      the three different ticketing systems work together
      seemlessly. I suppose someone smart could pitch
      something like that today, and probably pull it
      off in light of this slashdot story. :)

    3. Re:So basically, by steve_l · · Score: 2

      If the phone company is in charge then yes, its value added fees. Like the UK traffic congestion service that vodaphone run, that works out where you are and gives you info on traffic: for a fee. The best bit - I think the network itself provides traffic flow data; if a line of phones are moving across the cells at 80mph, that says a lot about road conditions.

      But if our laptops can get location data then we can have some fun. Want to see what films are on nearby? send a lat/long to IMDB and get a listing (they dont do this, though they did informally a while back). Want to know where your friends are: go to your IM server and check their locations. Better yet; your laptop can even change time zone based on where it is -wouldnt that be a good thing.

      see my paper on
      context aware laptops for more ideas.

      -steve

  13. Honestly... by Undaar · · Score: 4, Insightful

    How much do we really need to be in constant communication with the rest of the world? Don't people want to be able to get away from work? Do we really need yet *another* place to see ads? I'm starting to understand what my grandfather used to say (see my sig.)

    --
    ~ "When I'm of that age I'm just going to live up a tree."
    1. Re:Honestly... by sczimme · · Score: 2

      How much do we really need to be in constant communication with the rest of the world? Don't people want to be able to get away from work?

      Here is a little-known fact: THESE DEVICES CAN BE TURNED OFF. If you don't want to be reached, push that magical little button, et voila!

      --
      I want to drag this out as long as possible. Bring me my protractor.
    2. Re:Honestly... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      Hear, hear.

      The cell phone haters like to tell how they will never buy a cell phone because then you'd have to be available at all times.

      Wrong. I have a company cell phone. In modern cell phones there is this nice thing called caller ID. You can see the incoming number and even the name of the caller if it is your phone's rapid-dial database. After the work hours I keep the phone on but refuse to answer any calls from work related or unknown numbers.

  14. wrong formula, again by YrWrstNtmr · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Faced with an increasingly difficult challenge in raising both average revenue per user (ARPU) and numbers of subscribers,

    whoa...hold the phone here. MUST it be both?
    Why not:
    (Good service + small fee per subscriber) * large # of subscribers = PROFIT.

    Probably they just want to get as much as possible before the inevitable shredding party, SEC investigation, the jailing of the scape goats, the private island for the honchos, annd the abandonment of the public.

    Screw long term growth. Get it now.

    1. Re:wrong formula, again by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      OK,

      (Good service + small fee per subscriber) * large # of subscribers = PROFIT

      That sounds good, but you need to understand that in order for that model to work, incremental costs have to be almost nil. Unfortunately, in order to have "good service", incremental costs tend to be fairly high.

  15. More acronyms! by Martigan80 · · Score: 1

    average revenue per user (ARPU)

    I have something else that is average per user, but I don't think I can say it here.

    --
    This SIG pulled due to lack of funding. (This damn war is costing too much!)
  16. How does this make it more secure? by sifi · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I can see that location information can be very useful, but how does it make it secure?

    It is almost impossible to replicate location information and use it elsewhere to gain unauthorized entry. Even if the information is intercepted during communications, an intruder cannot replicate that data from some other place...

    Why not? if I'm that bothered to gain access, surely I can cripple a device to generate bogus location information?

    --
    Sig (appended to the end of comments you post, 120 chars)
  17. The most dangerous one: "business models" by swb · · Score: 2

    Any technology paper that starts talking about "business models" scares me. I can't help but think that "business model" is just a scheme to use intellectual property, lawyers and standards bodies to put a cash siphon between the "real" producer of something of value and the consumer.

    Yes, I know its a b-school buzzword for explaining how specific industries or businesses operate, but even that informs me that there's not common sense, old-fashioned, buy low-sell high capitalism behind this idea, but instead there's a fast-buck, get-in-get-rich mentality behind it..

  18. Location based services starting to look like HURD by joonasl · · Score: 4, Interesting
    I've been involved in different kinds of mobile services projects for 3 1/2 years and the whole time the hype about location based services has been going on. I've never ever seen anyone use any kind of location based service in "real life" yet.

    Finnish mobile phone manufacturer Benefon has had a really cool phone, ESC that combines GPS location, GSM and a map application -- and the phone is just not selling...

    I starts to seem that the whole location based service concept is going to be the next WAP: over hyped and under utilized.

    --
    "There is a terrorist behind every bush"
  19. Location-based security? by Woogiemonger · · Score: 2, Insightful

    So now we have a security system that encourages tresspassing? I'd think GPS information can't be THAT accurate, so there might very well be a thief with a PDA outside your window, stealing your corporate secrets.

    1. Re:Location-based security? by Arimus · · Score: 1

      As it stands normal GPS is accurate to within a few meters (10's). For really high accuracy within a campus area differential GPS could significantly boost that accuracy...

      --
      --- Users are like bacteria -> Each one causing a thousand tiny crises until the host finally gives up and dies.
    2. Re:Location-based security? by f00zbll · · Score: 1

      Well, the accuracy varies. In the best case scenario, it get down to a couple meters as in 10' or so. In worse case, it can be off by a couple kilometers (a mile or so). Using a combination of cell and gps determination, a couple different companies have managed to get location determination down to a couple meters most of the time. What most of the time means is a gray definition coined by some marketing dork. What it means in numbers. I've seen numbers as high as 80% of the time it will return with a couple meters and as low as 30%. When embedded software start to use reflected GPS signals to improve accuracy, you're going to see accuracy down to feet. The software already exists and the method for doing so is well known in the GPS field.

  20. Never embraced this stuff by ekrout · · Score: 1, Troll

    802.11b is a security nightmare. Ask any network administrator worth his salt and he'll tell you the same thing.

    Between LEAP and every other 4 letter acronym that's supposed to be more secure, it's hard to even deploy a fairly secure wireless network without nearly shitting one's pants due to fear of such poor security.

    Not to mention the fact that regardless of the fact that all the _clients_ are without wires, you still have to put dozens and dozens of the box transmitters all around, in the perfect locations, or else your entire wireless network will be _useless_.

    --

    If you celebrate Xmas, befriend me (538
  21. Good info and examples by hrbrmstr · · Score: 3, Informative

    If you want more info on GIS with some decent links (including s/w that runs on linux and Java applications) to relevant examples, check out this article at dailywireless.org.

    It's a good page to start from if the IBM article feels a bit dry.

    --
    Mind the gap...
  22. Which studies? by krem81 · · Score: 1
    Studies by industry analysts forecast even greater demand for wireless and mobile devices, creating substantial opportunities for wireless device application and service providers.
    I'd like to know which studies have shown that. Wasn't there a lot of "studies" that had shown that there would be a huge increase in demand for telecom equipment too? Everybody banked heavily on that, and got really burned.
  23. Location information for mobile phones. by sifi · · Score: 3, Funny

    Most of my mobile phone conversations consist of:

    >Hello, I'm [here], where are you?
    >Oh, I'm [here]
    >Now I'm [here] can you see me.
    >Sorry you broke up, what did you say?
    >I'm [here], I can't see you.
    etc...

    It would be great if I had a phone which allowed my to find my friends. Of cousre the phone companies would hate it, they'd loss loads of $ on all those uncessary lengthy phone calls.

    --
    Sig (appended to the end of comments you post, 120 chars)
    1. Re:Location information for mobile phones. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny
      Sorry you broke up, what did you say?

      You must be one of those rare female Slashdot readers!

      If someone called a male cellphone user about a breakup, only an awkward, embarrased silence would follow as the poor guy would desperately come up with an appropriate line.

  24. Re:Regardless of location, the screens are too sma by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    According to Strategy Analytics, by 2005 the market for location-based services will reach $6.5 billion in the U.S. and top $9 billion in Europe. The smallest portion of that revenue will come from tracking services, such as finding where little Billy went or where your new sales rep is hiding himself. The largest will come from answers to questions like "Where's the nearest Jamba Juice?" or from ads informing you at 11:00 p.m. that, down the street, an Italian restaurant is still open and accepts American Express.

    You are right, location sensitive SPAM.

    People are going to be turned off by the bombardment and thus the legitimate uses of the technology will never be allowed to develop.

  25. Re:Location based services starting to look like H by 3Bees · · Score: 1
    I've been involved in different kinds of mobile services projects for 3 1/2 years and the whole time the hype about location based services has been going on. I've never ever seen anyone use any kind of location based service in "real life" yet.

    I don't know if there is anyone out there with more info, but isn't this exactly what Steve Wozniak is currently working on? That is the impression that I have received from his web-site. Does anyone out there have more info? I am far more interested in what Wozniak has cooking than all of the cell networks put together.

    --
    "I think we should tax people who stand in water! " - Mr. Gumby
  26. developerWorks writes, not! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Even though it says that developerWorks wrote the blurb for this story, it was actually taken straight from the article. The blurb, actually written by Harsha Srivatsa , shows a fine master of MBA doublespeak, so I expected it plagiarized right away. Please, I know most of us dislike current copyright law, but lets give people credit for what they write. It's not free use to copy a whole paragraph without attribution.