A Typology of Business Models for Mobile Service Platforms

Based on platform theory, this paper discusses the concept of platform ambiguity in mobile service provision, arguing that fundamental uncertainty exists not only about the boundaries and interfaces, but about the nature itself of a mobile service platform. It refers to the concept of gatekeeper roles, and demonstrates how these roles are instrumental in defining the strategy of a platform, both in terms of opening up information resources and thereby attracting customers, and in terms of allowing to control and lock in these customers. Subsequently, a platform typology is proposed based on a set of control parameters related to diverging articulations of the gatekeeper roles, resulting in four platform archetypes: the enabler, system integrator, neutral and broker