A new ticketing system based on payforit - the mobile payment platform developed by wireless operators Orange, Vodafone, T-Mobile, 3 and O2 - has been launched in the UK.
Mobile specialists Dialogue Communications and AEI Mobile are using the payforit technology to introduce a mobile ticketing option for a Drum & Bass Arena event at a London nightclub. Dialogue claims this is the first time payforit has been used for event tickets.
Users of the system can make one-off payments or set up subscriptions with a value of up to £10 for goods and services such as ringtones, train tickets and parking fees using Web-enabled handsets. Money spent via payforit is automatically added to the customer's mobile phone bill, so users don't need a credit card or bank account.
To buy a ticket, customers send a text message to a dedicated number before receiving a link to a mobile Internet site. Once on the site, customers use the payforit system to buy their ticket which is then sent to them via SMS. Customers can only buy one ticket because payforit has a maximum purchase value of £10.
Guiom Peersman, UK managing director, Dialogue, says: "The mobile ticketing market has huge potential and is another key market growth area where payforit can be a real value added solution."
Del Dias, managing director, AEI Mobile, adds: "Mobile ticketing is a no-brainer for event organisers, a good proportion of which are already using SMS as the preferred marketing channel for events and functions."
A study released by Juniper Research earlier this year
predicted that mobile ticketing will grow in popularity over the next few years, with 2.6 billion tickets worth $87 billion delivered by 2011.