NFC Times Exclusive Insight – Spokespersons for Nokia’s HERE digital mapping business declined to comment on how the acquisition of HERE by German carmakers BMW, Audi and Mercedes, announced yesterday, would affect its leading role in the NFC-based Open Mobile Ticketing Alliance.

But regardless of whether HERE stays in the group or later decides to drop out, realization of the Open Mobile Ticketing Alliance’s bold plan to enable riders globally to buy and spend transit tickets from a single app on NFC smartphones faces a long road ahead. 

The alliance, known as OMTA, made up of HERE, two large transit fare-collection systems integrators, Scheidt & Bachmann and Thales, along with contactless reader and POS maker VeriFone, announced formation of the group in mid-July–though they had announced their intention to form the group last year.