Get your cricket ticket on your mobile handset

Spice Telecom experiment for Gavaskar-Border match

Spice Telecom, in association with the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) and ConvergeLabs, has launched mobile-ticketing for the first test match between India and Australia, which is scheduled to be held in the city from October 6-10.

According to Spice Telecom, this is the first time that cricket match tickets would be received through a mobile phone. Tickets can also be booked online.

Speaking to mediapersons, Sean Dexter, managing director, Spice Telecom-Karnataka Circle, "There will not be any extra charge besides the cost of the ticket. We are more interested in seeing how the the model works in order to make it hassle-free for our subscribers."

Dexter did not rule out the possibility of replicating this model for other events that may be held in the city.

In order to buy the M-tickets for the inaugural test of the Gavaskar-Border trophy, one needs to log on to www.kscaonline.com or www.spicetele.com or dial +919844100777 from their mobile phones. Spice's Karnataka customers can dial 777 or SMS 'cric' to 777 for booking their tickets.

On successful booking, the ticket will be delivered on the phone as a special barcode, which the user will have to save on the handset till the end of the match. To gain entry into the stadium, they will need to authorise their ticket by getting their mobile phone scanned on the electronic barcode scanner at the stadium entrance on the day of the match.

Measures have also been taken to ensure that a subscriber cannot SMS his barcode to other phones.

Speaking about their patent-pending technology, president of ConvergeLabs, Amol Patel, said, "The high degree of penetration and growth of mobile phones and credit cards in urban Indian markets, coupled with a stable financial and legal infrastructure, have opened enormous opportunities for mobile commerce industry. We plan to bring the convenience of mobile-based payments into other market segments such as entertainment, airlines, restaurants and retail."