Changes of mobile Internet ecosystem structure and suggestions for regulatory policy

The mobile Internet industry has experienced dramatic changes as plenty of new applications and business models emerged. This study conducts a qualitative review on the changes through adopting business ecosystem approaches. An analytical framework is established for reviewing the structure of mobile Internet business ecosystem. Then the core value, key actors, and inter-firm relationships of the mobile Internet ecosystem in the past and in the present are compared. It is found that the ecosystem structure has shifted from an MNO-centric model to a polycentric one with highly expanded value sources and diversified keystone players. Accordingly some suggestions for regulatory policy makers are provided in terms of the roles of mobile Internet in social welfare improvement, the call for a convergent regulatory system, and challenges for information security regulation.