Mobile devices have become an important tool in higher education. Although mobile devices have several benefits for students, the use of these devices is still very limited among students. This low percentage of usage could be attributed to several reasons, both technical and non-technical. Therefore, there is a need to conduct more research in order to understand the necessary factors that would lead to enhanced student usage, thus achieving sustainable mobile learning. In order to achieve that, our study proposes a model by employing the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) to investigate the necessary factors that influence intention to use mobile learning among university students. To evaluate the proposed model, structural equation modelling (SEM) was employed to analyze data collected from 612 students. The results indicated that factors, such as device connectivity, device compatibility, device memory, device performance, network coverage, and network speed have a significant and positive influence on students’ intention to use mobile learning. This research provides important recommendations for university decision makers and developers on understanding the necessary factors for adopting mobile learning and reflect the students’ requirements.

Mobile phones have become widespread in the modern era. One contemporary use of mobile phones is in the education field, commonly known as M-Learning. Subsequent to the growth of M-Learning, developers of educational mobile applications need to understand what the user requirements are, and how to satisfy them. In order to measure user satisfaction while engaging with mobiles as learning tools, many models have been created using the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology, and other models such as the Technology Acceptance Model. However, none of these has focused on the technical factors affecting the users’ intentions to use their mobile phones as learning tools. Due to technical limitations, as well as human psychology, mobile phone learning remains limited to an assistance-only function. This paper presents a review of studies that have been used to measure users’ intentions of engaging with mobile phones as learning tools. One hundred and twenty-seven papers have been reviewed, dating from 2011 to 2020. These papers differ in terms of methodology and results collected. Results showed that many models had been extended by adding factors such as trust, pre-usage or attitude. Moreover, this review concludes that almost none of the above-mentioned studies had identified precisely the technical factors that may affect the intention of using this type of technology in education. However, when classifying the influential factors of M-Learning, almost none of the studies discussed the advantages of the technical aspect in imparting knowledge through mobile learning. This study is significant for the education industry in its identification of the relative importance of these factors where mobiles are involved in the learning process. In addition, it provides a brief history of the involvement of technology in education.