HAMPSHIRE, England - Person-to-person fund transfers and mobile payments in the developing world, together with the commercialization in 2009 of near-field communications-based mobile payments, will generate transactions worth approximately $22 billion by 2011, according to a new report released by Juniper Research.There is much to be positive about with mPayments, according to "Mobile Payments: Strategies & Markets 2007-2011": The ecosystem is evolving into one in which cooperation between the major stakeholders is creating an atmosphere that is incubating intelligent ways for consumers to use the mobile phone for payment.There is still much to do — resolving the business model and revenue-share issues are priorities — but much of the technology is available, and there is a genuine willingness from the major stakeholders to resolve their differences and cooperate.Greater availability of NFC devices for physical mobile payments, coupled with secure and easy-to-use applications backed by the large credit card organizations and financial institutions, will create the foundation for a healthy alternative to cash and other mainstream payment applications, according to report author Alan Goode."The technology is available now to enable secure and fast payments to be initiated on the mobile phone," Goode said. "The business model stills needs some work, but there are positive signals emanating from the industry [and those] will create considerable revenue for all parts of the ecosystem. I am cautiously optimistic for the future success of mPayments."The report illustrates the current and near-future status of mobile payments with interviews, case studies, and analysis from representatives of some of the leading organizations in the growing mobile payment industry. Among the report's highlights:• About 204 million mobile phone users worldwide will adopt mPayment strategies by 2011.• SMS-based P2P fund transfers and payments will drive the developing world's mPayment market.• An adequate supply of contactless chip-enabled devices, NFC-enabled devices, and Sony's FeliCa contactless integrated-circuit-chip smart-card systems will enable more than 52 million mobile phone users to make physical payments by 2011.• Retailers will benefit with potentially lower transaction fees and increased shopping cart sizes.White papers and details of the study can be downloaded for free at Juniper Research's website.
Juniper Research provides research and analytical services, including consultancy, analyst reports, and industry commentary, to the global high-tech communications sector.
