Mobile payments see more investment activity
Net Element International, a technology-based company specializing in e-commerce, has announced that it will begin investing more heavily in mobile payments technologies. Mobile commerce has been the subject of a great deal of interest in recent years. Consumers and businesses throughout the world have shown strong support for mobile commerce, praising this field for the convenience it brings to retail and other sectors of business. Net Element International is one among several companies that are beginning to show very aggressive interest in mobile payments.
Funding to be provided to Skolkovo Foundation
Net Element International has announced that it has entered into an investor agreement with the Skolkovo Foundation, a research and development firm funded by the Russian government and based in Moscow. Through this partnership, the two companies will work together to develop new mobile payments technologies. Net Element will have access to their technologies during their early stages of development and will be able to use these technologies in a variety of pilot projects that are likely to take form in the near future.
New mobile payments technologies to be developed over next three years
More than $12 million is being devoted to the research and development of mobile payments technologies and services over the next three years. The services and technologies developed by Skolkovo are expected to play a major role in the progression of mobile commerce in Russia and several countries in the European Union. Net Element is keen to support the development of new technologies and services in order to establish a stronger presence in the competitive field of mobile commerce.
Russia may be ideal location for new mobile commerce services
Net Element is no stranger to mobile payments and has been investing in this field for some time. The company has already established a formidable presence in this field, but has begun seeing more competition emerge from large companies that also share an interest in mobile payments. Thus far, Russia remains somewhat cut off from the growth of mobile commerce, which may provide Net Element with a powerful opportunity to establish its leadership in this field.
Mobile commerce deal between VeriFone and the Taxicab Commission goes sour
VeriFone, a leading developer of point-of-sale technologies, has been making strong progress in the field of mobile commerce recently. The company has seen the demand for mobile point-of-sale systems grow in recent years and has been working to accommodate the needs of its customers, many of whom have shown aggressive interest in mobile payments. VeriFone recently entered into a deal with the Taxicab Commission of Washington D.C. The partnership had started relatively well, but soon encountered significant problems that eventually lead to significant turbulence.
Mobile commerce is growing in popularity, but problems still exist
While mobile commerce is one of the fastest growing industries in the world, not all of the news that comes from this field can be good all the time. The partnership between VeriFone and the Taxicab Commission is one example of this and the partnership may serve as an example of the perils that exist in the mobile commerce field. Due to the relative youth of mobile commerce, the challenges that companies face in this field are still somewhat unknown and partnerships that run into these challenges may be able to provide some degree of insight on how such challenges can be overcome or avoided altogether.
Partnership had sought to bring mobile commerce into taxi transportation
The partnership between VeriFone and the Taxicab Commission was meant to install smart meters into the cabs that operate in Washington D.C. These smart meters would facilitate mobile payments, allowing consumers to pay cab fares with their mobile devices rather than traditional forms of currency. The adoption of smart meters was considered a good business move due to the growing number of consumers that are becoming more reliant on their smartphones and tablets. The Taxicab Commission had initially been enthusiastic regarding the partnership, but quickly sought to back away from the deal it had made with VeriFone.
VeriFone notes strong interest in mobile commerce field remains clear among many companies
VeriFone is now claiming that the Taxicab Commission owes the company as much as $18.5 million. Most of these expenses come from cancellation fees that had been negotiated prior to the finalization of the partnership between the two companies. While the partnership between the two companies has fallen through, VeriFone notes that mobile commerce is still a field where many merchants and other businesses are showing a great deal of interest.
