Gavin Penkin, Exact Mobile director of portal and entertainment, says Exact Mobile are the first company able to offer such a product as they are the only company, apart from the banks, who have a secure WAP gateway.
"Any mobile phone with secure WAP technology can purchase tickets. Its is therefore not restricted to high-end phones, even the Nokia 3330 could be used to purchase tickets. All the user has to do is use their phone to go to Exact Mobile`s site, click through to the Ster Kinekor site, choose the movie, select their seats from a seating plan and enter their credit card details. After receiving the confirmation SMS, they simply pick up the tickets by swiping their credit card at the Ticketline terminal," he says.
Penkin says the process is just as secure as interacting with a bank through a cellphone. Exact Mobile also has a leased line directly into Ster Kinekor to provide additional security and does not keep the user`s credit card number.
Exact Mobile`s application comes after Telecom Trends International released a report earlier this month stating that Africa and the Middle East accounted for 1.8% of the 94.9 million m-commerce users worldwide who spent $6.86 billion in 2003 using m-commerce applications.
The report states the number of users is expected to increase to 1.67 billion by 2008, spending over $554.37 billion annually. Africa lags far behind Europe and Asia who between them account for 90% of mobile commerce.
Gary Cousins, Clickatell key sales consultant, says it is very exiting that someone apart from the banks is using a secure WAP gateway enabling them to launch the country`s first credit card m-commerce solution. He says it opens up the opportunity for any other type of m-commerce ticket sale solutions to enter the market.
However, Cousins says there are still many barriers for m-commerce to take off in SA. "The utopia of m-commerce is purchasing goods off your cellphone contract or prepaid account. Through this medium, the unbanked people of the country can be reached and be able to purchase goods from their cellphones. However, in order for this to happen, we will have to see networks and service providers taking much lower margins off premium rated SMS numbers," he says.
Arthur Goldstuck, MD of World Wide Worx, says while Internet banking has become trusted by the market, e-commerce still needs to receive acceptance. "M-commerce will only take off when it becomes simple and easy to use and the market is satisfied that it is secure," he says.
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