Archive, Industry News

Tap-tap ticketing take-up

Smart ticketing is just the tap of a mobile phone away, with northern hemisphere ‘near field communication’ tickets booming

By David Goeldner | February 15, 2012

Wireless technology researchers Juniper Research released a report this week forecasting a boom in the uptake of NFC (Near Field Communication) mobile phones as smart ticketing devices.

By 2016, one in eight metropolitan bus and rail travellers in North America and Western Europe will be using NFC-enabled mobile phones as their ticket to travel, according to the report ‘Mobile Ticketing Evolution – NFC, Forecasts & Markets 2012-2016’.

The report found that while mobile tickets of all types are growing in popularity, the ability to ‘tap’ an NFC phone containing a mobile ticket against an entrance gate – or on board a bus –has tremendous user appeal.

The report says for operators, a mobile phone ticket provides new marketing and sales opportunities previously not available using paper or contactless smartcard tickets.

Report author David Snow says NFC mobile ticketing is still in its early stages, but it holds great promise across the entire mobile ticketing market.

“Metro ticketing is leading the way as an NFC ticket,” Snow says.

“It’s a natural evolution from a contactless transport card and can leverage the existing infrastructure,” he says.

“Add to this the option of simultaneous payment and you have created a compelling user experience.”

The report warns NFC ticketing must be thoroughly tested before being launched to the public.

For metro rail and bus tickets in particular, speed of passenger processing is of the essence and queues must not be allowed to build up as a result of ticket processing delays either in mobile phones, gating or back office systems.

NFC technology became accessible to the public in 2006 with Nokia’s first NFC phone.

Samsung appear to be leading the market in 2012 following the recent release of its android NFC phone.

The Juniper Research report says the uptake of NFC phones will be so rapid over the next few years that by 2016, NFC mobile tickets will represent more than 50 percent of all mobile ticketing revenue.

And worldwide mobile ticketing transactions are set to quadruple to 23 billion by 2016, according to the report.

The ‘Mobile Ticketing Evolution – NFC, Forecasts & Markets 2012-2016’ Report covers:

Comprehensive Forecast Suite: The forecast chapters contain 79 figures and tables, including the number of ticketing users and transactions over five years, as well as the value of these transactions. These calculated projections are categorised by region, industry (airline travel, terrestrial transport and events) and technology, giving readers consummate understanding of the full spectrum of the current and potential mobile ticketing market.

Granular Analysis of Industry Verticals: Juniper’s renewed and revamped mobile ticketing report is the only one of its kind to individually tackle all mobile ticketing industry verticals, with five types of transport system and events split by sports and entertainment subsections. Readers will benefit from this exhaustive and specialised method of analysis, which illuminates key opportunities within the mobile ticketing space.

Strategic Examination of the Mobile Ticketing Ecosystem: Unique analyses of the mobile ticketing lifecycle and the impact of NFC on each stage, paired with a comprehensive review of industry standard bodies and their influence on the migration from contactless to NFC, provides readers with vital insight into the role of NFC and its significance to the mobile ticketing ecosystem.

The impact of NFC is explored in depth, illustrating the ways that NFC strategically fulfils the mobile ticketing vision and the advancements Juniper expects NFC technology adoption to achieve by 2016.

For more information go to www.juniperresearch.com/reports/mobile_ticketing_evolution

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