Developments in the area of mobile communications will contribute to the ongoing convergence of media, telecommunications and internettechnology, which results in a change from the (sector-specific) traditional vertical value chains to horizontal (across sectors) value networks. An example is a news service offered on television, internet and mobile networks. Although the news may have the same content across the different channels, each channel will require a customised presentation form. It is expected that especially the mobile terminal will require a more advanced form of customisation, namely adaptation to person, location, network and terminal.

To provide value-added mobile end-user services it is a prerequisite to be able to securely package and customise services (and content) to the user's need. The project objective is to develop a vision on future mobile services that make use of customisation, and to develop the business models and technology that enables this customisation. A platform of generic services is developed for prototyping and experimentation with end-user services. The experiments involve user-studies to demonstrate and validate the vision.

Themes
Personalisation, context-awareness, intelligent brokerage

People want to use services, at home or at work, independent of the hardware devices they use; the software environments they use; or the network technology they use. They simply want to use services. Therefore, we believe the future 'communication system' will have the intelligence to adapt services to individual requirements, like personal interests, environment and life stage. It is what we call customised mobile services.

The GigaMobile project aims at building knowledge (research) and proof of concepts (prototypes, demonstrators) to support these customised mobile services. We do not know what these services exactly will be. However, we do know the key functionality that is needed. Mobile services have to be personal, they will depend on the context in which they are used (which mans location-dependent and herewith time-critical), and (intelligent) brokerage functionality is needed to realise these services, as well as to integrate them. GigaMobile works on the key (generic) building blocks in these areas to enable a flexible use and quick assembly of whatever mobile service.

• Key results regarding personalisation focus on open, service enabling platforms, solving conceptual problems -in particular active adaptation (context adaptation) of user profiles- and building demonstrators. 
• Key results regarding location-based services focus on the identification of relevant Business-to-Employee scenarios and their proof of concept in demonstrators. Research issues are sensor-based localisation services, instant messaging and presence services.  
• Key results regarding brokerage focus on the architectural design of brokerage systems, and the suitability of agent technology for this purpose.

Focal area:
Network Infrastructure and Middleware

Parties involved:
Telematica Instituut, TNO-FEL, TNO-TM, TNO-TPD, TU Delft, Fraunhofer FIT (G) and VTT Electronics (F)