Forecast: 400 million mobile ticketing users by 2013

More than 400 million mobile subscribers worldwide will embrace mobile ticketing services by 2013 according to market analysis firm Juniper Research, which adds that trials and pilots are still behind the curve due to issues including bar code reading, the absence of reader infrastructure and the availability of Near Field Communications-optimized handsets. Juniper reports the travel and transportation sector will lead mobile ticketing, followed by entertainment and sporting events--the Far East and China will lead consumer adoption, with Japanese rail travelers cited as a driving force behind subscriber takeup. Juniper also points to a number of pivotal trials and services shaping mobile ticketing, including an Indian cinema chain that accounts for 37 percent of all movie passes sold worldwide as well as the emergence of football and baseball franchises introducing mobile options for ticket purchase and delivery.

Juniper forecasts that gross mobile ticketing transaction value will reach $92 billion by 2013, with the Far East and China, Western Europe and North America representing more than 80 percent of this total. The study adds that NFC will reach its tipping point over the 2011 to 2013 period--however, Juniper says the encouraging results of NFC mobile trials in London and San Francisco notwithstanding, market traction hinges on the availability of NFC phones and the speed of installation of NFC readers.

For more on the Juniper forecast:
- read this release

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