New research released by Juniper states that by 2013 there will be 400 million people using their mobile phones to buy tickets. This makes a lot of sense and seems like a logical next step in the evolution of mobility and Internet transactions. When I worked at Intel, they called the phenomenon “convergence” - that the line between computers and cell phones would gradually blur. Couple this with the fact that people are increasingly willing to purchase online, and voila- the boom of mobile ticketing.

As I have stated before, major roadblocks in the proliferation of this technology are bar code reading issues, lack of reader infrastructure and availability of near field communications (NFC) handsets.

Here’s a link to the full article just in case you’re made of free time, but the salient points are these:

  • Mobile will catch on in Travel first, followed by live entertainment and then sports.
  • Total gross mobile ticketing transaction value will reach $92 billion by 2013.
  • The Far East & China region, together with Western Europe and North America will represent in excess of 80% of this global gross transaction value by 2013.
  • Mobile ticketing must “make life easier” for users. In this respect, NFC, with its convenience, is a crucial development.
  • NFC will reach its tipping point over the 2011 to 2013 period (meaning that my prediction of 2009 may have been a little aggressive)

What do you think? Would you be comfortable purchasing tickets over your mobile phone?

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