Mobile technology has played a crucial role in facilitating democratic change in many of the developing countries. Many countries have attempted to implement Mobile Government (m-government), which is a form of electronic government, using mobile and other latest technologies such as social media as the most fundamental infrastructure for implementing such changes. However, m-government projects' scalability and sustainability are amongst the key issues relating to the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). This chapter attempts to discuss the scalability and sustainability of m-government projects in the context of developing countries. The aim is to provide a broader understanding of the inherent issues surrounding scalability and sustainability of m-government projects: in general terms and also in relation to mobile phone-based projects for governments' service delivery. In order to understand these issues, definitions of these two concepts are provided and various e-government maturity models are discussed. This is then followed by an overview of the challenges of scaling up and sustaining the m-government projects in developing countries, and lastly, an elaboration of how sustainability and scalability can be achieved is also presented.

The proliferation of mobile technologies and mobile phones has presented an opportunity for Government in the developing countries to utilize Mobile Information and Communication Technologies (M-ICT) to help facilitate daily administration and to provide better services to citizens, businesses, and government agencies through using mobile technology. This research reviews the success, failures and factors influencing m-Government development and implementation in developing countries. The characteristic challenges that developing countries face, which make m-Government implementation in developing countries fail to succeed are identified and integrated. The paper also presents results of literature review of case studies from both developed and developing countries and preliminary studies grounded in the South Africa m-Government reality. The key factors are identified, integrated and characterised under common broad categories. These results were given in a rich picture of m-Government implementation experience that helps to identify possible solutions. A descriptive framework for categorising key factors in m-Government implementation in developing countries illustrated with suggestions from the literature is proposed. The input variables are characterised into factors for success (drivers and enablers), and factors for failure (barriers and inhibitors). The output variables are categorized into organisational and technological benefits. Finally, an action plan for success is proposed. This action contains suggestions for increasing the impact of factors for success while reducing the impact of factors for failure.

The proliferation of mobile devices now ubiquitous to virtually everyone in Africa has made it absolutely easy to get across to every user. Innovative ideas have quickly developed around mobile devices as well as technology surrounding it and while the earliest uses were born out of necessity, the current technology is harnessing the power of mobile devices to support and propel citizen engagement in democracy. With its Mobi4D platform project, the CSIR is pioneering the utilization of mobile devices to fully implement mobile government application with the aim of significantly improving the quality of service delivered to the citizens of South Africa. In this paper, we report the current development around the Mobi4D platform and discuss from the view point of opportunities it presents for mobile government. Demos of some of the pilot services being developed on Mobi4D are also presented showing how such platform can help address challenges faced in the government sector.

Mobile devices such as cellular phones (including smartphones), tablet computers and Personal Digital Assistants already run a wide variety of software such as business enterprise applications, productivity software, mobile learning etc. New prospects are emerging for applications that run on these devices, especially in this post-PC era where mobile devices are used often for personal use, for commercial use and for government services. To this end, the proliferation of mobile devices in every layer of society has confronted the social community with many opportunities and responsibilities. With mobile computing and its outcomes entering the government arena, the challenge becomes how to harness these potentials in ways that are beneficial to the government and the community at large. In this paper, we provide an introduction to the application and new enhancement of mobile technologies and mobile computing in technical government systems. Mobile devices allow allows every citizens to access government resources every time in anywhere. With respect to the wide application possibilities of mobile government, it is essential to investigate user attitudes and acceptance. The paper presents the M-government approach as the next generation of E-Government, wherein the next generation of the governance systems will provide easy access and wide availability to all. Keywords—Mobile Government, Mobile Technology, government, users E-Learning, Smart Phones, PDA.