The Department of Information Technology, belonging to the Government of India, updates the public on the latest version of a theoretical framework for mobile governance. This blog entry explains how the new framework represents the ambitious attempt of Indian State leaders to mobilize their operations towards easier access to services for the wider public. 

Using mobile phones to provide government services might be a fruitful concept in India. The South Asian nation is one of the biggest mobile societies around the globe, inhabiting more than 791 million mobile subscribers. Market analysts forecast the number of mobile holders to reach 1 billion already by 2012.

The newly released theoretical framework aims to agree on specific guidelines that concern the use of mobile gadgets in relation to government services. Such services could for example cover the payment of utility bills or the completion of tax returns.

In order to mobilize the government, a standard operation mode needs to be defined for the purpose of user-friendliness and easy interoperability of all services across various official departments. Within the latest framework document, proposals on the use of cloud computing are lined up beside ideas on public-private and multi-stakeholder partnership models.

One of the most innovative and promising proposals in the framework is the idea of a Mobile Service Delivery Gateway (MSDG) platform that will become a crucial, integrated part of the general e-Governance plan in India. The gateway is projected to be developed by the Department of Information Technology by fall this year.