Jacksonville, FL -- (SBWIRE) -- 06/17/2011 -- Mobile Concierge, was announced this month by the Hon. Andrew Stoner MP, Deputy Premier of NSW, Australia and Parramatta’s Smart City consortium was chosen as one of 11 successful applications to help build the State’s digital economy.

“It’s been almost 12 months since Council launched ParraConnect as part of our Smart City concept and this funding is another step towards ensuring we’re at the forefront of digital technology,” Parramatta Lord Mayor, Cr John Chedid, said.

“This is an iconic project that will not only create jobs and provide economic benefits but also has the potential to dramatically change the way we do business.”

The launch of the program in Parramatta will see participants use smartcards or Near Field Communication (NFC) Mobile Phones to shop from participating retailers, allowing workers, residents and visitors the opportunity purchase goods or services remotely – creating a ‘virtual marketplace’.

Paramatta Smart City Project

Consortium Lead:
ST Microelectronics – Leading global technology company ($10b annually)

Consortium Partners:

SGS Technologie – International player in integration and Cloud technology (Subsidiary of Majestic People Group, US based and having Global development & support center headquartered in Coimbatore, India).
Salt Mobile – NSW, Australia expert in mobile delivery and payments
WatchData – Provides mobile NFC and form-factors

The smart cards also have the capacity to hold large amounts of information and could be used to access car-parks, work buildings, libraries and used as part of loyalty programs.

Frank Dorrian, SGS Technologie ANZ Country Director and SMART CITY Program Manager, said that although contactless smart cards, (NFC) micro payments, and smart-phones are all available as individual applications this is the first time they have been consolidated into a secure mobile ecosystem.
“This new smart ecosystem could re-invigorate the traditional city centres of Australian cities and allow small retailers to compete on a level playing field with their super-mall counterparts through mobile ordering and payments,” he said.

“The solution that we’re launching in Parramatta has already attracted interest nationally and internationally which is a strong reflection of the demand for modern solutions that keep pace with business development.”

The consortium lead for this project is STMicroelectronics, a major global technology company, and following on from what will be a successful launch in Parramatta the potential is for this initiative to spread to other parts of the country.
Jean-Claude Pellicer, country manager for STMicroelectronics, which was awarded the supply of QANTAS frequent flyer cards last year, said that the expertise of the consortium group that has been put together will ensure Parramatta’s ‘Smart City’ vision is realised.

Ravi Dhandapani, Vice-President of Majestic People Group who heads the Global development efforts and based in Coimbatore, India said “ We have been developing user-friendly Rich mobile applications for various government clients in the US especially in Florida state and other global markets for the past 7 years. We are greatly honoured by this project win and our top-notch team will extend our expertise to the Australian government to fulfil the vision of SMART CITY. We are also looking to establish and grow our business in the ANZ region substantially in the coming years based on the success of this project. Also we are looking to extend and localize this solution to the other growing markets like India and China in the near future.”