Mobile Commerce Systems 1 Copyright © 2004, Idea Group Inc. Copying or distributing in print or electronic forms without written permission of Idea Group Inc. is prohibited. Chapter I Mobile Commerce Systems Wen-Chen Hu, University of North Dakota, USA Chung-wei Lee, Auburn University, USA Jyh-haw Yeh, Boise State University, USA ABSTRACT The emergence of wireless and mobile networks has made possible the introduction of electronic commerce to a new application and research subject: mobile commerce. Understanding or constructing a mobile commerce system is an arduous task because the system involves a wide variety of disciplines and technologies. To facilitate understanding and constructing such a system, this chapter divides a mobile commerce system into six components: (i) mobile commerce applications, (ii) mobile stations, (iii) mobile middleware, (iv) wireless networks, (v) wired networks, and (vi) host computers. Elements in these components specifically related to the subject are described in detail and lists of technologies for component construction are given. Other important issues, such as mobile security, are also discussed. INTRODUCTION With the introduction of the World Wide Web, electronic commerce has revolutionized traditional commerce and boosted sales and exchanges of mer- chandise and information. Recently, the emergence of wireless and mobile networks has made possible the admission of electronic commerce to a new application and research subject: mobile commerce, which is defined as the exchange or buying and selling of commodities, services, or information on the