Four consortia shortlisted to test run mobile payment solutions
- By Au Yong May Lin , 16 October 2001 1629 hrs (GMT) 0029 hrs (SST)

Paying your carpark fees via SMS is not too far-fetched now, as Singapore gets ready to test-run mobile payment systems next year.

Four consortia have been selected to run the pilot programme - which will be partially funded by the Infocomm Development Authority.

The trials will cost S$20 million, with the IDA funding up to S$12 million.

Buying movie tickets on your mobile phones is just one of the many applications that 10,000 mobile trial users will be able to enjoy come march next year.

At the moment, it is the lack of such mobile services that has been blamed for the dismal use of mobile Internet here.

IDA expects the pilot programme to give the industry a much-needed boost.

The 4 groups selected for the trials - including teams led by Nokia, National Computer Systems and ST Electronics - were shortlisted from 72 groups.

Finance players such as Visa, Mastercard, DBS Bank and NETS are some of the companies involved in the trials, where phone users can pay carpark charges, or buy that can of coke via bluetooth technology.

The National Library, various retail outlets and cinemas as well as SingTel, Mobile One and StarHub will take part in the trials.