NFC ticketing system to take place in the UK

Mobile Payments

Mobile Payments

Public transportation and NFC technology come together

The United Kingdom’s Everything Everywhere (EE), a mobile network operator and Internet service provider, has announced that it will be teaming with Stagecoach, an international transportation services provider, to test the country’s first commercial NFC ticketing system. NFC technology is becoming a popular option in the world of public transportation because of its uses in mobile commerce. The technology can turn nearly any mobile device into a payment platform, allowing consumers to make purchases of goods and services with nothing more than their smart phones.

Companies to investigate the viability of NFC for ticketing

For the trial, which will take place in Cambridgeshire, EE will make use of its Quick Tap NFC system, which will allow consumers to make purchases of tickets through mobile payments. The Department of Transportation’s Integrated Transport Smartcard Organization (ITSO) ticketing technology will be used to issue the appropriate passes to those that purchases tickets via an NFC-powered transaction. Both EE and Stagecoach will monitor the efficiency of the systems as they work together and determine whether NFC is a viable way to streamline public transportation.

NFC technology may be useful in the public transportation sector

NFC technology has been the subject of acclaim recently due to its uses in mobile commerce and marketing. The technology has recently experienced use in other sectors, such as public transportation, that have proven that it is not a so called “one hit wonder.” Both EE and Stagecoach believe that NFC can have a significant impact on the public transit system in the UK, but the companies will still need to take security quite seriously before an NFC-based ticketing system can be used throughout the country.

Security to be a primary concern during trial

Concerns regarding the security of NFC technology have caused delays in the adoption of mobile commerce to some degree. Because the EE and Stagecoach ticketing system is a matter of mobile commerce, the companies are expected to take stringent security precautions in order to ensure the protection of UK consumers.

Leave a Comment


This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.