Mobile ticketing to lift off, powered by airline sales

Smartphone set to become your ticket to the world...

Mobile ticketing is forecast to rise significantly, with airlines leading the wayPhoto: Jo Best/silicon.com

Using a smartphone as a ticket will take off over the next four years, with one in eight mobile users worldwide either ordering a ticket with their handset or having one delivered to a mobile by 2015, according to Juniper Research.

That statistic equates to 750 million users around the world regularly accessing ticketing services via their mobile, Juniper reported.

The predicted adoption of mobile ticketing represents a significant increase on present use, with approximately one in 20 mobile users currently accessing ticketing services on their mobiles, which equates to 230 million people.

Report author Howard Wilcox said in a statement that acceptance of mobile ticketing would be driven by airlines, cinemas and sports events, adding that "barcoded boarding passes are a clear case in point".

"Mobile technology is moving the ticket machine into our pockets," he said.

The next two years have been pinpointed by the Juniper Research report as a period in which mobile ticketing will make the transition to mainstream services.

"Our research demonstrated that mobile ticketing will change the way many people buy and obtain their regular, everyday tickets, which are mostly printed at the moment," Wilcox said."

The report identified the main methods of mobile ticket delivery as SMS, barcodes, mobile web, smartphone apps and near-field communication (NFC).

silicon.com recently reported that the Heathrow Express now offers travellers the chance to buy tickets for the train service using their smartphone, via the free Heathrow Express app.