Monday, April 25, 2005

How would you like to pay?

I have been doing some work on mobile payments. My first experience of Mobile Wallet was not a happy one, a small mono screen, slow connection speeds and complex interface made for a frustrating time. However the Mobile networks are starting to come together on micro payments with the launch of Simpay.

This Summer we will see a service launched in Spain that allows the phone user to make payments for content not just on the mobile phones network but also other peoples websites. They will settle the payment on there phone bill and authorise the payment with a simple pin number. We can expect to see the service in London in time for Christmas shopping.

With the role out of SIMPAY we can expect to see a number of retailers getting excited as they see an opportunity to charge for Papers, Coffee, etc. using a mobile phone and pay a lower charge in terms of transaction fee. The reason is that the mobile network gets money from the text messages sent to authorise and pay the bill, they also want to increase my experience as a 3G customer.

If SIMPAY takes off it will mean that on weekends I can leave the house with just my Keys and Phone. Hopefully within a few years I can use my phone to start the car and open the door of my house but that will take time for another new technology to take off called near field communication.

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2 comments:

Anonymous said...

think you gotta remember the review of the e-commerce directive this summer, the thing that will define m-commerce in europe

Ian Wood. Principal Wireless Foundry LLP said...

Hi Will,

I have been talking to a few of the key players on m-Payment and at present for Micro payment (value less than €10) and Micro Micro Payment (Value less than €1) it looks like e-money will be regulated on a country basis. This being the case then the issue is one of stored value and deposit taking which the mobile networks feel that they have covered via present compliance.

The issue of e-money is more one of Macro payment and anti-money-laundering as far as those within SIMPAY see it.