Mobile tickets set to be worth $87 billon

After years of nearly hitting the big time but not quite making it, it looks like mobile ticketing will finally be going mainstream from this year, according to analysts Juniper Research. The company reckons that by 2011, over 2.6 billion mobile tickets will be delivered to just over 208 million mobile phone users, thanks to a number of pilots around the world turning into full-on commercial launches.

By the looks of things, it’s going to be a mammoth market at $87 billion worth of mobile ticketing transactions by 2011, as operators start using mobile ticketing to cut down on paper and trim costs, as well as fighting fraud. Apparently, the airline industry will see the benefits with around $500 of cost savings each year once it adopts mobile boarding passes.

And finally – finally! – NFC tickets will also start spreading, with serious uptake happening from 2009. I’m really hoping this does turn out to be the case – no more excuses for lost or torn tickets. After all, Oyster functionality is already being tested on mobiles, why not bring other modes of transport on board too?