
Transport payments get mobile…
By David Meyer
Published: 26 November 2007 15:41 GMT
Upcoming trials will see passengers on the London Underground use a mobile handset as a substitute for their travel cards, reports suggest.
According to The Guardian, trials will involve phone manufacturer Nokia, mobile operator O2 and Transport for London (TfL) - the agency that runs London's public transport network. The report in The Guardian claims a specific handset is being developed which can be swiped across the Oyster card readers used at the ticket gates of London Underground stations.
As with the Oyster card itself, the handset will probably use a variant of RFID technology called near field communications (NFC). The same technology has recently been incorporated into some new banking cards so that they can be used in shops for contactless payment of small amounts.
Visa even has a payWave credit card that features the capability to make small, contactless payments in shops, as well as functioning as an Oyster card.
Meanwhile, in Japan, many mobile phones already incorporate NFC technology for travel and payment purposes.
None of the parties reported to be involved in the TfL trials were willing to give further details at the time of writing but it is understood a formal announcement of the trials will be made later this week.
David Meyer writes for ZDNet.co.uk
The cashless revolution is coming...
Mobile phone payments set to rocket by 2011
Online cash payments on the cards?
'Tap and go' plastic arrives in London
Domino's Pizza delivers SMS ordering
e-Borders to cost £1bn over next decade
Visa to kick off contactless cards this autumn
Barclays targets taxis with wave-and-pay tech
Retailers fear contactless payments
C# .Net Developer - E-Commerce - 3 months - Oxfordshire Our Client is seeking a C# .Net Developer with experience of creating e-commerce capabilities ...
You will also have experience in analysis, design, development, deployment and support of business application systems, with preferential experience ...
Specialising in the commercial and technical complexities of mobile payment and message transmission, mBlox is in the business of connecting ...
Agenda Setters 2009
Welcome to the ninth annual Agenda Setters poll – silicon.com's list of the top 50 most influential individuals in the technology and IT industries, from techies and CIOs to entrepreneurs and business leaders. Find out more in our latest special report.
Managing a growing threat: An Executive's Guide to Web Application Security
5 Sources of Value Through a Telecom Expense Management Initiative
Adopting Server Virtualization for Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery
Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery with CA Recovery Management and VMware...
Stories from the web...
Copyright © 2008 CBS Interactive Limited. All rights reserved. Top of page
Peter Cochrane Peter Cochrane's Blog: Facebook saves teen from prison Another unexpected impact of social networking
Natasha Lomas Exclusive: Jimmy Wales on what's next for Wikipedia Why Wikipedia needs geeks and why a life unplugged is unthinkable