article on mobile wallets...
by: cabvineyard (M/Connecticut)
Long-Term Sentiment: Strong Buy 09/05/01 01:27 pm
Msg: 294573 of 294574
Mobile Wallet May Hold Key to 'Cash-Free' Society
14:00 PM GMT on Sep 04, 2001
[Newsquest (Brighton]
A Cash-free mobile society may be the next "killer application" of high technology and a Sussex team is on the trail.
Dr Andrew Grantham, of the Centre for Research and Innovation Management (Centrim) at the University of Brighton, said: "M-commerce could be the key.
It has the potential to make life easier for consumers and cut costs for businesses selling goods.
"One of the advances we are investigating is the mobile wallet.
"It is an electronic purse holding a series of smart cards, from credit cards to small change cards.
The wallet could be used with a mobile phone to buy almost anything without being at the point of sale.
"Theatres could send out a message offering tickets for a new show.
A user could confirm a booking and pay using the mobile wallet without having to go to or speak with the theatre.
"Digital tickets could then be sent back to the mobile device and surrendered electronically on the night of the performance."
Dr Grantham's researchers are seeking out emerging world-wide technology trends.
He said: "Commercial competition to anticipate the next big thing is fierce. When an idea takes grip of consumers on a universal level, bringing an unheard of technology into everyday use, it is known as a ?ller application'.
"Nobody sees it coming and then it is there, taking over a huge sector of the market place and generating vast sums of money for the companies that invested in it at the early stages."
Centrim is a partner in the MobiCom research consortium, which has members across Europe.
The consortium has been awarded ?,000 funding from the European Commission to further its research into future technology applications.
Dr Grantham said: "The sort of trend we are trying to identify is akin to email or short messaging service (SMS) for mobile phones.
When email was first invented by academics to share information, no-one thought it would be used outside universities.
"Mobile phones were aimed at the business world and the keenness of the general consumer to use all the functions of the mobile took many operators by surprise."
The team plans to research the potential for mobile connectivity, with a focus on third generation (3G)-enabled mobile devices such as PDAs (personal digital assistants) and mobile phones.
Development of 3G mobile internet increases m-commerce opportunities.
Dr Grantham said: "We are investigating a number of scenarios for the next five years.
We will test them with businesses across the south, as part of the wider European study, to see how they work in reality."
Companies interested in participating in the project by attending seminars or acting as a case study can e-mail a.grantham@brighton.ac.uk or call 01273 642193.
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