| Money began its life as clay tokens and scraps of | | | | customers to provide their financial details online,so |
| silver and gold in the ancient cities of Mesopotamia. | | | | businesses can reach customers without cards, or |
| We've come a long way since 2,500 BC and cold | | | | those who are uncomfortable using their cards online. |
| hard cash is increasingly being replaced by less | | | | Not all m-commerce applications use the same |
| tangible currencies,hence the rise of the 'contractiess' | | | | technology or take the same approach to |
| payment system and mobile commerce | | | | payments,but standards are being developed,such as |
| (m-commerce). m-commerce started with wireless | | | | NFT,(Near Field Technology). This is being used for a |
| POS (Point of Sale) swipe terminals but it has quickly | | | | number of m-payment applications or trials. Londoners |
| made its way into mobile phones and PDA's (Personal | | | | have been using the NFT-based Oyster card to pay |
| Digital Assistants), as it offers some advantages over | | | | their tube fares for a couple of years, while |
| more traditional payment methods. There is no need | | | | commuters in the German city of Hanau are using their |
| for a phone jack or an electric outlet, so it can be | | | | mobiles to pay for public transport,and as a loyalty |
| more flexible, and the commercial applications of | | | | card in local leisure facilities. |
| wireless payment systems are increasing. | | | | By placing an NFT chip near a reader, data can be |
| In Asia, people have been able to use their mobile | | | | transmitted to and from the chip,so the possible |
| phones like debit or credit cards for some years, using | | | | applications go way beyond making payments. |
| e-money to pay for groceries or to pick up the tab in | | | | Witness the French city of Caen, where citizens are |
| restaurants, and the trend is now spreading to other | | | | trialling an NFT system that enables them to pay for |
| regions. In 2006, eBay company PayPal introduced an | | | | services and receive information straight to their |
| SMS-based service, allowing consumers to use their | | | | phones. The applications include making payments in |
| mobile to send money to businesses,charities or even | | | | an underground car park, the town hall, and a |
| to a friend's phone or e-mail account. At the moment, | | | | supermarket, plus a bus stop which can transmit |
| this not supported by all telecom providers,and is | | | | timetable information, a cinema poster which |
| possible only in the US and Canada, but it is only a | | | | downloads video trailers to users' mobiles, and a sign |
| matter of time before availability is as widespread as | | | | that delivers tourist information via SMS messages |
| the online PayPal service. | | | | and phone calls. |
| Systems such as Mobillcash also allow people to use | | | | With developments like these it's hard to predict how |
| their mobile phone to make payments on the internet | | | | many of us will still be carrying cash in four or five |
| without a credit or debit card,by having the payment | | | | years time, but 4,500 years from now, money will |
| charged to their mobile phone bill. The payment | | | | probably seem as quaint as clay tokens. |
| method doesn't need a credit card or require | | | | |