New Nokia’s just the ticket

Three-in-one technology trials on mobile phones kick off.

The theory has been around forever (okay, a couple of years) and has in turn been described as “unworkable” and “Orwellian” by sceptics, but later this week an RFID data tag will be trialled on handsets including Nokia’s 6131 NFC.

Raised eyebrows and quizzical looks? Thought so. Both Oyster and credit cards use tiny RFID tags easily small enough to fit in the average mobile phone to store data, which makes it a logical convergence.

It means your mobile will become Oyster Card, cash card, loyalty card and phone in one pocket-friendly form thanks to a collaboration between Nokia, O2 and London Underground and the implementation of near field communication (NFC) technology.

Already very successful in Japan and South Korea, users load credit to their phone (rather than access their entire savings account) in shops or online and use it to buy treats like a nice cup o’ tea securely, quickly and without having to fumble past your hanky for a fistful of pocket change.

You’ll need a subscription and installation of an appropriate application on your phone to get started, but then that’s it. And if it’s successful, expect to see it roll out across the land – before long we’ll all be shopping with a swipe of a phone.

We're off for a top secret powwow with Nokia tomorrow, so stay tuned for full, hands on, details.