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Consumer choice drives the Mobility trend

Mobile devices are fast blurring the line between phones and computers. What does this mean for the ATI?

Mobile technology is evolving at greater and greater speeds, driven by consumer choice. At the end of 2007, there were 3.3 billion mobile phone users in the world, with mobile phones outselling computers 20:1. At the current rate, there will be five billion mobile subscribers by 2011.

Most mobile phones by 2011 will combine traditional communication functionality with that of computers, TVs, wallets, personal navigation systems, and other sophisticated software to browse and search the Internet.

As consumers become more proficient in using these devices, they will demand that businesses keep pace by offering applications they can access on the go. In this environment innovators will thrive.

This is not a new trend. It is the continuation of an existing trend that has seen communications move from voice conversations to data-oriented exchanges via Short Message Standard (SMS) paging, e-mail, social networking and Instant Messaging. Accessing and utilizing this technology on the go is simply the next step.

SITA's ambition

Mobile check-in and SMS paging for flight information are already available today.

One of the features of SITA's PassengerWeb Check-in application allows for self-service check-in via mobile phones.

SITA's Mobile Messaging SMS lets airlines contact passengers anywhere in the world by transmitting text messages directly to their mobile phones and pagers. It is an ideal way for airlines to keep in touch with customers - for automatic customer notification, marketing, and other reasons.

Other SITA Mobility products and services currently on the market:

• WorldTracer automatic SMS notification - automatically delivers lost-baggage status information to passenger's mobile phone
• Mobile CUTE / CUTE On Wheels - quickly deploys a CUTE desk for boarding control, or passenger transfer management, especially in times of disruption

SITA continues to develop solutions to help airlines and airports meet approaching demands. In the near future, passengers will use their mobile devices at every step of the passenger journey, including onboard the aircraft. In doing so, passengers will avoid many of the traditional stress points that currently define their travel experience.

Passengers will use their mobile devices to:

• Store all of their travel documents, including an e-passport and e-wallet
• Pay for everything from excess baggage to airport taxes to duty-free shopping
• Ease the boarding process by accessing flight delays, gate changes and directions to the gate
• Avoid long waits at the baggage carousel
• Change their travel itineraries - any where and at any time

Such services will be the rule rather than the exception in the ATI. Airlines and airports that can assimilate the necessary technologies into their business practices the quickest will enjoy major advantages in the market place.

 

e-Wallets

Also known as digital wallets, these applications allow users to make digital payment transactions quickly and securely. An e-wallet essentially functions just like a physical wallet, in that it is used as a means of storing various forms of electronic money (e-cash) which can then be used to pay for goods or services. The mechanism for payment varies, but usually relies on either a card being swiped through a reader, or some form of contactless payment using wireless technology such as Near Field Communication (NFC) technology.

Near Field Communications (NFC)

When combined with a mobile device, NFC becomes particularly powerful, as it can be used to store data such as a mobile boarding pass or frequent flyer details, as well as containing an e-wallet. Since NFC is powered by the scanning device, not the phone or PDA, it also works even when the battery has run down - thereby overcoming one of the key concerns about mobile device dependency.

 

NFC in a transport-related context is currently under trial in the UK, where operator O2 launched a large-scale six-month pilot project at the end of November 2007. The trial allows some 500 subscribers to use their mobile phones as tickets on public transport in London, as well as to pay for goods, process credit card payments and even communicate with interactive billboards. If successful, it will see Londoners able to use their phones as e-wallets across the capital.

 

"It's easy, it's simple, and it's safe," says Sébastien Fabre of SITA's Innovation and Planning team. There are still some standards-issues to resolve, and much will depend on how rapidly NFC is taken up by the makers of mobile devices - but the indicators are strong, with Frost & Sullivan forecasting that a third of all mobile phones will be NFC-equipped within three to five years, and ABI Research projecting that 450 million mobile phones will be NFC-enabled by 2011, representing close to 30% of handsets shipped worldwide that year.

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