April 4, 2001 – Shopping in Sweden could be as easy as pointing your phone at the cash register.

That's the idea behind a trial run set up by Ericsson and Eurocard AB in Sweden using Bluetooth technology in Ericsson's R520 phones. The phones will be equipped with a virtual Eurocard that, in turn, will connect with a store's cash register.

Scheduled for launch in May, Eurocard says it hopes to use the findings to determine if the mobile method is "simpler, faster and more convenient" than using cash or credit cards.

Ericsson says this is the first use of Bluetooth as a real-life wireless payment solution for consumers.

Eurocard already believes that the method has promise. Noting that the process will rely on PIN codes rather than checking a customer's ID, Synnöve Trygg, president of Eurocard AB in Sweden, added "paying for purchases using a Bluetooth-equipped mobile phone will enable them to pass through the store check-out much faster."

Trygg also said that the technology will also allow customers to learn, via their mobile phones, about special in-store promotions.

Orvar Parling, vice president, Ericsson Sverige AB, hailed the program as an example of how Bluetooth "can be used for everyday tasks."