Poll: Majority of Pocket-lint readership up for Oyster-phone

57% say yes to mobile payment on Tube

7 December 2007 9:40 GMT / By Amy-Mae Elliott

Following the news that O2 has launched trials of its "O2 Wallet" we were interested to know if the technology-loving Pocket-lint readership would see this as a bonus mobile phone application, or a bogus waste of time.

The primary use of the "Tube-Phone", a Nokia handset, running on the O2 network with transaction technology from Barclaycard, will be as an Oyster-card-esque payment system for the London Underground, as well as other public transport systems in the capital.

So, to find out if this appealed, in our latest reader poll we asked: "Would you opt for an Oyster-enabled Tube phone?"

The results were skewed into the positive with 57% saying "yes" and 43% replying with a "no".

This is interesting when put in context of other global markets that have this kind of technology (via RFID or NFC) up and running, such as Japan where such chips are embedded in around 50% of all mobile phones.

We'll have to wait and see the feedback results from the actual current trial that sees 500 O2 customers giving the contactless payment plan a go.

Not due to finish until May next year, it'll be a little while before those up-for-it 57% of you get a go...