Beep

Dutch Telco KPN Acquires 51% Stake in Mobile Ticketing Firm Beep

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 27, 2005 - 4:28am.

Amsterdam - Royal KPN, a telecommunications company based in the Netherlands, announced that it has acquired a 51% stake in mobile ticketing company Beep from Imtech, a local technical service provider. Financial terms were not disclosed. KPN and Imtech -- which will own the remaining 49% of Beep -- said they would work together to expand Beep's service in the Netherlands and Europe. The service allows Internet and mobile phone users to buy tickets for events; once purchased, the tickets are downloaded in the form of a barcode, which can then be scanned at entry to the event. "The Beep platform and the 2D barcode form an ideal stepping stone in the further development of mobile authentication and authorization services," KPN said. "Essentially all modern mobile phones are equipped to make use of the service."

Korean Govt. Mandates Audible "Beep" for Camera Phones to Ensure Privacy

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 12, 2003 - 7:46am.

Seoul, South Korea -- In an effort to address privacy issues and cut down on clandestine pictures taken in "compromising situations," the Korean government has ordered manufacturers of camera cell phones in the country to engineer them so they sound a 65-decibel "beep" when a picture is snapped, Reuters reported. The government action comes after such events as a Korean woman's apprehension after selling pictures taken with her camera phone in a women's spa on the Internet. It is estimated that one in five cell phones in South Korea is equipped with a digital camera.