May 08, 2009
Mobile Ticket Delivery, Authentication and Redemption Technology is Powered by Skycore’s Multimedia Messaging Platform
Boston, MA (May 8, 2009): Skycore LLC today announced the debut of its mobile barcodes delivery and redemption technology for 2D barcodes which was showcased at an AT&T event during the Wireless Enterprise Symposium (WES 2009) hosted by Research In Motion.
Ticketing for the AT&T event was powered by Skycore’s multimedia messaging platform, Skycore.com. Skycore delivered 2D barcodes to the attendees’ phones prior to the show, primarily via MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service). The mobile tickets were then redeemed at the venue entrance using only 2D readers on several BlackBerry smartphones.
Until recently, scanning 2D barcodes on mobile phone screens required handheld scanners, attachments, or kiosks with special optics to scan accurately and fast enough for enterprise use.
Skycore’s approach gives enterprises an additional scanning option by turning certain smartphones into 2D barcode scanners powerful enough to quickly and securely scan, read and redeem 2D barcodes inside MMS messages on the recipient’s handset.
Our end-to-end, enterprise solution leverages free and readily available, open-source 2D barcode generators currently used around the world. Barcodes are uploaded to the Skycore.com platform, integrated, and subsequently delivered to customers’ handsets. The venue scans the barcodes using smartphones with a custom, enterprise reader downloaded as an application. The barcodes are scanned and authenticated over 3G to Skycore servers and the data forwarded to the enterprise for internal use and tracking.
MMS is the delivery method of choice for 2D barcode tickets because it’s almost universally supported by phones and carriers worldwide, it arrives in the phone’s inbox like SMS and it doesn’t require a data connection at venue entry.
Skycore predicts that by simplifying and digitizing the ticketing process, lowering redemption and infrastructure costs and making it easily portable, and will facilitate mobile ticketing for the millions of small and mid-size events.
For larger events, 2D MMS barcodes can be delivered using the Skycore.com platform, scanned by existing ticketing infrastructure, and augmented with portable smartphone devices.
“Our mobile barcode delivery and redemption technology is a revolutionary service enabling virtually any business or organization to use mobile barcodes. It’s an end-to-end service that allows you to create and deploy redeemable tickets and coupons with complementary text and multimedia content and send it cross-carrier to your customers’ mobile handsets. Redeeming 2D barcodes is easier now, too, since users can choose smartphones or other 2D scanning devices,’ said Rich Eicher, founder, and CEO of Skycore.
Skycore expects the technology to accelerate mobile barcode use in many other applications, including mobile coupons, vouchers, reservations, IDs, payments, and loyalty programs.
“We were impressed by the flexibility and forward-thinking of AT&T’s enterprise team. They are truly focused on supporting their enterprise partners. We are proud to have the opportunity to support their efforts,” said Mr. Eicher.