S'pore to try mobile-phone payment scheme
- 15 October 03:55PM, Singapore Time

SINGAPORE -- Singapore will launch a trial-payment scheme within five months enabling people to use their mobile phones to shop and pay for restaurant bills, movie tickets and carpark charges, officials said on Monday.

From March next year, 10,000 trial users will be able to shop, purchase fast food and movie tickets and pay library fines and carpark charges using their mobile phones, personal digital assistants and other wireless devices.

The Infocomm Development Authority (IDA) said the trials will cost S$20 million (US$11 million) and are part of the city-state's ambition to become a launchpad for wireless technology.

The payments will be directly debited from the users' bank accounts or paid via cash-cards and credit cards, IDA said.

Users can settle payments by using the short message service (SMS), wireless application protocol (WAP), infra-red and blue tooth technologies.

Mobile phone giant Nokia, one of IDA's partners in the trials, will also test-run phone covers embedded with smartcards and dual-chip phones.

IDA assistant chief executive Khoong Hock Yun told AFP he expected a high adoption rate among Singapore's three million mobile phone subscribers as the nation was one of the region's most technologically savvy.

IDA will fund up to 60 per cent of the programme while the rest will be shouldered by participating industry players.

Next year's trials will include the participation of DBS Bank, local libraries, cinemas, retail outlets, as well as three rival mobile phone operators.

Industry experts claim commerce using wireless technology has greater potential than electronic commerce -- which uses computers.

The Asia Pacific's mobile commerce market is forecast to soar to US$12.4 billion by 2005 from US$557 million this year, with South Korea leading the way, according to research firm International Data Corp. -- AFP