Pay By Phone Grows With Subway Trial

A few weeks ago I argued in ‘Battle For The Bulge‘ about the fight Apple and the iPod now have to win against the mobile phone market. Although the cell phone may still have some limitations in terms of music content, it seems to be moving at leaps and bounds in terms of innovation when it comes to commerce in the real world.

The phone could really be our new wallet. Here’s one example: French wireless telecom company Bouygues Telecom and Paris’ public
transportation authority, Régie Autonome des Transports Parisiens
(RATP), are launching a trial that will allow riders of the Paris’
subway and bus systems to use RFID-enabled cell phones as contactless
transit cards. To pay for a ride, participants will need
only wave their cell phones past one of the Navigo RFID-enabled readers
already installed at 800 Metro subway stations and on 8,000 buses. The
trial’s participants will have the option of using the cell phones to
add additional money to their Navigo account, by means of a Web site
accessed through Bouygues’ i-mode wireless data service site. Navigo
customers cannot currently renew their accounts online.

RFID Journal

Related PSFK Articles
2005: Other Trends To Note: Pay By Phone
The Battle For The Bulge