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Nearplay Systems hopes phone recharge kiosks ring user's bells in London

October 15, 2002

LONDON -- Nearplay Systems is launching Charge Me, a service that will allow users to charge up their mobile phone or PDAs at kiosks, in a test set to begin in November.

According to Ananova, the first test installations are planned for Victoria and Paddington stations in London, and Heathrow Airport.

The kiosks will be able to accommodate up to a dozen phone or PDA users at a time, according to Nearplay, and can charge Nokia, Ericsson, Motorola, Siemens, Samsung, Sony and Palm devices.

Users pay 50 pence for a five-minute charge or £1 (approximately $1.55 U.S.) for 10 minutes.

The company also hopes to introduce an indoor version for shops and cafes.

Michael Tusch, Nearplay's technology director, said, "The majority of mobile phone users are always on the move, so it makes sense to pilot Charge Me in public places where they may have a few minutes to spare."