Webraska: Evolving with the Wireless Market

Case Writers: Beatrix BIREN and Iwona BANCEREK The French firm Webraska was established in 1998 to offer a personal navigation solution as an alternative to maps and CD-ROM based car navigation tools. The turnkey service was accessed through Internet-enabled mobile devices such as mobile phones and car terminals, and by different access modes such as SMS, WAP, and call centers. To encourage adoption of its service, Webraska modified its initial business model by introducing an application programming interface. This interface provided developers of application services with access to a library of navigation and mapping functions hosted on Webraska’s servers. Then an apparent shift in demand from customers away from purchasing turnkey services toward owning the technology platform begged the question whether the company should yet again modify its business model to become a software vendor.

The Webraska case allows students to analyze the co-evolution of the business and revenue models of a growing company in an emerging and rapidly changing market space. Particular consideration is given to the organizational implications of business model change. Specific pedagogical objectives are: To understand the evolutionary and complementary nature of business and revenue models in a dynamic industry, and analyze the organizational implications of business model change. To analyze how Webraska�s various business models have created value for the firm and for other business-model stakeholders, such as customers, end-users, suppliers, and partners. To assess to what extent Webraska is an attractive opportunity for investment. To provide insight into the wireless services market.