m-Travel.com and Travel Distribution News

Archive Category: Mobile commerce

IRCTC and ICICI Bank announce mobile payments and ticketing system

Indian Railways Catering And Tourism Development Corporation, in conjunction with India's leading bank ICICI Bank, has announced the launch of mobile payments and ticketing system, offering IRCTC customers to book railway tickets via SMS and make payments through their ICICI Bank accounts.

Continue reading "IRCTC and ICICI Bank announce mobile payments and ticketing system"

Tiscover markets tourism on mobile platform

Tiscover, a global destination system provider, has launched Tiscover05, the company's latest generation system of its online marketing platform, featuring the one of the world's first tourism content solutions for PDAs and mobile phones. For the first time on this scale, the power of mobile technology can be harnessed by tourism providers, according to Karsten Kýrcher, executive director of sales, marketing and finance at Tiscover.

Continue reading "Tiscover markets tourism on mobile platform"

Sabre Travel, Proximus Belgacom sign deal

BRUSSELS -- Sabre Travel Network, a global distributionsystem (GDS) that connects travel suppliers and agents, has signed a contract with Belgian mobile phone operator Proximus to make its Virtually There personalised travel website available through Proximus’ wireless Internet service. The deal gives Proximus customers who book their travel through a Sabre Connected travel agent full access to their personal travel details at virtuallythere.com, via the Proximus network.

Continue reading "Sabre Travel, Proximus Belgacom sign deal"

Show tickets sold on mobile phone in Singapore

TEL AVIV -- Worldwide, there are 300 million people use the Internet, but some 500 million pack a mobile phone. With these numbers in mind, the Israeli company RegiSoft has been developing ticket sales on mobile devices, and now the first such wireless transaction system is up and running in Singapore. RegiSoft announces the successful completion of the first show offering ticket sales using mobile devices at Esplanade Theatres on the Bay, Singapore’s national performing arts center, selling all the tickets allocated to using this revolutionary method.

Continue reading "Show tickets sold on mobile phone in Singapore"

Mobile credit card authentication to be developed

TORONTO -- Arcot Systems Inc., a provider of systems for securing digital identities, and Diversinet, a provider of secured mobile solutions, have jointly agreed to develop and co-market systems for mobile authentication of online credit card transactions.

Continue reading "Mobile credit card authentication to be developed"

Study finds trend toward simple wireless services

LOS ANGELES -- Telecom experts generally believe that information on demand and services that increase user convenience and efficiency are more promising avenues than entertainment on a wireless device, according to a new report by the Center for Telecom Management at the University of Southern California (USC) Marshall School of Business. The experts were not optimistic about m-commerce within the next year, citing obstacles like pricing, infrastructure deployment, and the need for new devices as a few of the challenges that need addressing before the potential of m-commerce can be realized.

Continue reading "Study finds trend toward simple wireless services"

ETSI plans four seminars on mobile commerce

SOPHIA ANTIPOLIS, France -- The European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) will hold a series of four seminars help companies apply mobile technology to their businesses. These m-Commerce Discovery Events are organized by ETSI Project M-Commerce (EP M-Comm) and will cover both financial and telecommunications aspects.

Continue reading "ETSI plans four seminars on mobile commerce"

Pepsi vending machines connected by wireless

CHICAGO -- U. S. Wireless Data and PepsiAmericas are expanding a wireless vending initiative that Pepsi started in Memphis last January. You can now pay with plastic at Pepsi vending machines at Chicago's Navy Pier and Woodfield Mall.

Continue reading "Pepsi vending machines connected by wireless"

Florida students sign up for wireless coupons

TAMPA, Florida -- Since launching this Spring, over 700 University of South Florida (USF) students have signed up for and are using MoBull Messenger, a new free wireless discount coupons and notification service.

Continue reading "Florida students sign up for wireless coupons"

March toward m-commerce moves forward

SOPHIA ANTIPOLIS, France -- The European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) reports that is being accelerated with the establishment of a new Specialist Task Force (STF). The STF will support the work of ETSI Project M-Commerce (EP M-Comm) in the development of mobile signatures, which will be used to authenticate the identity of a person doing business on a mobile telephone in the same way that a written signature guarantees the identity of a person signing a written contract.

Continue reading "March toward m-commerce moves forward "

Scan Mobile launches SMS-based ticketing

LONDON -- Scan Mobile, a provider of mobile applications and technology, has released TexTicket, an SMS-based mobile ticketing application. TexTicket allows users to check availability and purchase tickets using Short Message Service (SMS) on their mobile phone. 

Continue reading "Scan Mobile launches SMS-based ticketing"

Mobile phone withdraws cash from Danish ATM

By Ken Smith | Editor, SmartTravelNews.com

AALBORG, Denmark -- Now here's a pilot project that should catch the attention of everybody in the travel and hospitality industries. If a mobile phone can be used to withdraw cash from a bank's automated teller machine with all the security and encryption that that entails, how much of a leap can it be before wireless handheld devices are used for airline boarding passes, keyless hotel entry, and many other applications?

Continue reading "Mobile phone withdraws cash from Danish ATM"

Datalex signs with Siemens Mobile Travel

DUBLIN -- Some ideas, like the seeds of some plants, take longer than expected to germinate. Two years ago, Mary O'Rourke, Ireland's Minister for Public Enterprise, became the world's first secure mobile commerce consumer when she purchased concert hall tickets and an airline ticket with a WAP-enabled phone.

Continue reading "Datalex signs with Siemens Mobile Travel"

European groups plan m-commerce standards

SOPHIA ANTIPOLIS, France -- The European Committee for Banking Standards (ECBS) and the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) have signed a co-operation agreement to increase the effectiveness of their efforts towards the development of standards for the security of telecommunications and m-commerce.

Continue reading "European groups plan m-commerce standards"

hotelguide.com offers mobile device booking

LUCERNE, Switzerland -- One of the largest accommodation brokers on the Internet, hotelguide.com, is now offering online reservations and user account access on mobile Internet devices. The hotel database consists of more than 65,000 hotels in 200 countries worldwide. 

Continue reading "hotelguide.com offers mobile device booking"

SinoSky licenses Diversinet m-commerce certificates

HONG KONG -- Hong Kong-based wireless infrastructure and application developer SinoSky Technology Development has licensed advanced wireless security from Diversinet Corp., a leading provider of m-commerce security infrastructure solutions. SinoSky is the first company to bring Hong Kong Post's new Mobile e-Certs to financial services over handheld devices.

Continue reading "SinoSky licenses Diversinet m-commerce certificates"

Coca-Cola, DoCoMo test wireless vending machines

By Ken Smith | Editor, SmartTravelNews.com

If it is technologically possible to conduct a commercial transaction between a mobile phone and a soft drink vending machine, when will it be possible to similarly buy an airline ticket or book a hotel room? If the advance publicity is to be believed, the answer is "not long, maybe even tomorrow."

Continue reading "Coca-Cola, DoCoMo test wireless vending machines"

Wireless financial services offered on Air2Web

ATLANTA -- Wireless platform provider Air2Web and financial services provider Corillian Corp. have signed OEM agreement to provide U.S. banks, credit unions and other financial institutions with a fully integrated wireless Internet banking solution.

Continue reading "Wireless financial services offered on Air2Web"

Travel industry targeted for Palm PDA card reader

SAN DIEGO -- Targeting industries such as travel, law enforcement, restaurants and healthcare, Semtek Innovative Solutions has released the PDA Swipe, a three-track magnetic stripe card reader for Palm powered devices. Expected buyers of the device include companies requiring m-commerce, age and personal identification verification, mobile point of sale (POS), or lead retrieval.

Continue reading "Travel industry targeted for Palm PDA card reader"

Wireless in travel and hospitality: hype or necessity?

By Max Starkov | Hospitality eBusiness Strategies

The media hype surrounding the mobile Internet is astounding. Articles, commentaries and reports on wireless applications, WAP, 2.5G, 3G, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi are all over the print and online media. Getting confused? What are the implications of the mobile Internet, next generation wireless technologies and m-Commerce in the travel and hospitality space? What is the true meaning of these emerging technologies for the travel suppliers and buyers?

Continue reading "Wireless in travel and hospitality: hype or necessity?"

Motorola and Domino's Pizza team on m-commerce

Among the first e-commerce transactions were by American college students ordering pizza by e-mail. A decade or so later, Americans have been slow to adopt m-commerce. A pizza order is a long way from booking an airline ticket on a mobile phone, but it's a step in the right direction.  

Continue reading "Motorola and Domino's Pizza team on m-commerce"

UAL offers wireless PDA flight bookings

CHICAGO -- United NetWorks, a division of UAL Corp., has announced the introduction of booking and ticketing through any wireless enabled personal digital assistant (PDA). The company said it is the first airline to offer this service globally. United NetWorks is the UAL division responsible for the company's Internet and wireless initiatives

Continue reading "UAL offers wireless PDA flight bookings"

Cahners sees 9.2 million mobile commerce users

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Having not yet been a financial success for most carriers around the world, mobile commerce is indeed a work in progress, according to Cahners In-Stat Group. The high-tech market research firm estimates that, on a global basis, 9.2 million wireless subscribers were m-commerce users at the end of 2000, representing a total value of $264 million.

Continue reading "Cahners sees 9.2 million mobile commerce users"

Bluetooth studied for mobile retail terminals

BOCA RATON, Fla. -- VoiceFlash Networks has announced that the company has signed a memorandum of understanding with VeriFone to explore the viability of cooperating in the development of retail mobile commerce products. First users of the products using Bluetooth technology are expected to be airports and hotels. 

Continue reading "Bluetooth studied for mobile retail terminals"

Jupiter sees $4 billion in m-commerce by 2006

NEW YORK -- Jupiter Media Metrix reported today that although the US has had the largest base of cell-phone users in the world, less than $4 billion in shopping and travel will be transacted on Internet-capable mobile phones in 2006, representing less than 2% of all online shopping. 

Continue reading "Jupiter sees $4 billion in m-commerce by 2006"