LAS VEGAS -
Several experts at BAI's Retail Delivery Show suggested as much, and numerous announcements related to mobile payments were made during the show. Two major players announced mobile payments deals during the show, and other smaller players indicated they will be providing supporting roles. Driving the hype around mobile payments is the combination of Gen X/Gen Y consumers comfortable with using cell phones for transactions, and technology that is much improved over earlier releases. AT&T's recent launch of its mobile banking platform (see related story, page 15) may also help push this long-awaited movement forward.
Leading the way was CheckFree, which is expanding its OpenChannel strategy for mobile banking and payments. That strategy includes support for multiple technologies, including microbrowser-based wireless application protocol (WAP), text messaging (also known as SMS), and device-resident applications. Meanwhile, ClairMail and mFoundry said they had entered into a partnership to offer what the companies dubbed a "triple play" of mobile user interfaces-messaging (SMS and e-mail), mobile web and client applications. The companies said they will co-market and sell an enhanced, combined solution which integrates the ClairMail System's mobile banking and payments platform and applications with mFoundry's Spotlight client-based application.
