MELBOURNE, Australia—As part of its expanding mobile data strategy, Telstra announced this week a three-month trial in which customers can pay for parking using their GSM mobile phones.
“Our customers have consistently told us they want the convenience of being able to use their phone to pay for a range of goods and services,” said Craig Cameron, Telstra Mobile’s managing director of wireless data solutions.
The trial follows Telstra’s successful Dial-a-Coke m-commerce trial at Sydney’s Central Station, which finished at the end of April. In 11 months, 10,000 cans of soft drink were purchased using Telstra mobile phones. The trial Coke vending machines recorded a lift in sales by 10 percent compared with regular machines.
The parking meter trial is to be held near Sydney’s Bronte Beach. As part of the service, which incurs a A$0.55 (US$0.30) charge, customers buying more than 10 minutes of parking will receive a short message service (SMS) reminding them of the meter’s expiry time.
