At a time when Telstra is set to slug its 5.4 million mobile phone customers with increased mobile call rates, it has admitted it is preparing to trial mobile operated meters in conjunction with Sydney's Waverly Council.
Users will call a parking meter number on their mobile phone, key in the parking amount and that charge will appear on their mobile phone bill. Normal parking costs will apply, although these will be topped with a carriage fee from the dominant telco.
-I don't know what that [fee] is yet," Telstra OnAir spokesperson Virginia Murphy told ZDNet Australia, adding that trials were still some months away and price structuring was still being debated.
The Council intends to install 15 cashless parking meters in Sydney's Bronte Beach area and if they're successful hopes to convince 16 other local councils to adopt the model as a standard, exposing a large untapped market for mobile carriers.
The use of cashless parking meters is the Council's attempt to cut costs associated with the restoration of vandalised and pilfered parking meters. Vandalised meters cost the Council in the vicinity of AU$30,000 a year. Punters will also be able to pay the parking meters by smart card.
In a previous interview with Waverly Council, manager of parking services Greg Biscoe-Hough told ZDNet Australia the success of the mobile telephony scheme -depends on how greedy the telcos want to be" in charging customers for the service.
Why am I not surprised. The monopoly wants to be a bigger monopoly. Their tactics are a bit like Microsofts in some ways.