10Meters News Report

March 15, 2001 – Providing customers with wireless access is more than a service, it's a competitive necessity for brokerages, says research group, IDC.

"Ultimately, wireless has the potential to become the primary relationship channel with a significant percentage of a firm's most valued customers," notes Shaw Lively, research manager for IDC's Online Financial Services group.

According to Framingham, Mass.-based IDC, which published the report in its new Mobile Trends newsletter, two factors are driving the adoption of mobile brokerage services: competition and customer service.

A key element is offering customers personalized services, said Lively. Lively also warned that brokerages will need to rethink current technology and business-model issues in order to compete in the new mobile market.

"Mobile technology is relatively new at the consumer level and is only now gaining momentum in the United States," Lively said.

Information on the newsletter is available at www.idc.com/newsletters.