Most people who go out for an evening on the town have, at the very minimum, keys, a mobile phone and a wallet or purse with them. Each item serves a unique purpose, though it's possible people will leave home with just one item: their phone.
Technology is developing in the mobile world and it may be one day possible to just leave home and use a mobile phone for everything. Americans may be five years away from using a mobile phone to open doors, access subways or bus systems, make electronic payments, and carry out other every-day activities, some analysts claim.
Using mobile phones to make payments and access trains and bus systems can be found in Japan, South Korea and parts of Europe, but has lagged in the U.S. Several companies tried to offer similar technology in the U.S., but suffered greatly and simply stopped trying to adopt mobile phones as an alternative payment system.
"I think it is different this time around," noted Forrester Research senior analyst Ed Kountz. "The overall utility of cell phones has expanded, and more consumers are using the data aspects of cell phones."
Kountz is one of the growing number of analysts who think it will only be a matter of time before mobile phones can be used to make purchases, pay train fare, and other popular activities available in Japan and South Korea. By the end of 2009, mobile payments will jump 70 percent worldwide up to 73 million people, according to research compiled by Gartner.
There are several hurdles that must be cleared, such as security issues related to losing a phone or someone hacking into a person's phone and stealing relevant account/banking information. Furthermore, thieves would have another reason to target phones when attempting to steal, which is something the companies would need to deal with in the coming years.
I look forward to seeing how mobile phone use changes in the United States, as I know it's possible to use mobile devices as payment in some metropolitan areas in the U.S. It would be much more convenient to pay a train fare by simply scanning a phone and having money deducted out of a debit card, rather than waiting in line to purchase a ticket.
