Abstract

The decreasing average revenue per user of traditional voice communication services will not generate enough profit to reach the expected return on investment on 3G (third generation mobile telecommunication) infrastructures and licenses. Participants in the mobile market place must focus on new sources of revenue. Mobile services such as data services and “infotainment”, which utilise 3G and beyond 3G infrastructures will increase, at the risk of taking on new engagements in a rapidly changing environment. In order to manage this risk, new systems must be deployed that allow companies to assess potential investments and decisions before starting the service engineering process. The objective of this paper is to illustrate, how an investment decision support system used in the beginning of a mobile services development activity (i.e. service engineering) can serve as a decisive pro or contra conclusion for further involvement. The system is designed to assess and evaluate the robustness and viability of business models and to assist future planning and development of business activities in the mobile telecommunication domain.