Text Messages To Replace Stamps In Sweden

99luftballon writes "Sweden and Denmark are running tests on replacing stamps with text messages. The writer sends a text message to a central server, which bills for the stamp and returns a code to be written on the letter. It's an interesting system but it better have very good security. Could this be the end of stamp collections and philately?"

Comments

Good luck with that

[mwvdlee]

The code has to be a certain length in order to be unique, it has to be complex enough to take a while to crack, but write down one digit wrong (or slighly unreadable) and the code is invalid.

Re:Good luck with that

[narcc]

Pre-printing envelopes with individual QR codes that you scan with your phone and then send to the central server to activate that QR code as postage would seem to be an easier solution for the consumer.

How is that an easier solution for the consumer? Rather than needing a common dumb-phone, the user would need a smartphone with a camera, QR code software, and the knowledge to put it all together.

It seems like your pre-printed QR code system would only benefit the automated machinery at the post-office.

Besides, if you were planning to go through all the trouble to pre-print codes on the envelopes, why not just add the cost of postage to the cost of the envelopes and skip the whole 'activation' bit?

Better yet, since we're printing things, why not print a whole bunch of codes on a large sheet instead of on individual envelopes? Just Image: If you perforate the sheet and add an adhesive backing, the customer need only tear off one of the "tokens" and stamp it to an inexpensive envelope.

To save some extra cash, instead of unique codes (and a monstrous computer system to keep track of them all), we could make all the "tokens" uniform. Like a picture -- We could even have more than one. For security, we could add some luminescent ink or micro-printing.

If your token pictures are interesting enough, I'll bet you'll have people buying whole sheets every time you issue a new image just to collect them. That's basically free money.

Yes, I think that's a much better idea.

Re:Good luck with that

[Candid88]

Of course, because you don't use snail mail much, why would anyone else in the world ever want to?

Fraud

[StripedCow]

Just wait until a postman copies the code to a package of his own, and just destroys the original package.

Re:Fraud

[91degrees]

That's quite a high risk for few krona worth of postage.

I've always said it

[DrXym]

Philately will get you nowhere.

Philately

[vagabond_gr]

Could this be the end of stamp collections and philately?

Not really.

Btw I'm selling the following RARE swedish stamp:
67XX5768XX34XX4233 (digits hidden for security reasons).
Anyone interested?

no

[phantomfive]

Could this be the end of stamp collections and philately?"

No. It's the beginning of the rise in value of my stamp collection. :)

Re:Nice to get this from slashdot

[Menkhaf]

Det blev faktisk dækket af Ing.dk i går aftes: http://ing.dk/artikel/117178-post-danmark-klar-med-sms-frimaerker

Re:Nice to get this from slashdot

[Menkhaf]

I guess it could be considered rude to speak something other than English here, so I'll provide a translation before I get lynched:

"It was actually covered by Ing.dk (online newspaper driven by a big Engineering Association in Denmark) last evening: http://translate.google.com/translate?tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fing.dk%2Fartikel%2F117178-post-danmark-klar-med-sms-frimaerker&act=url "

Re:Nice to get this from slashdot

[rajanala83]

A system like this, operated by the Deutsche Post in Germany, is working since over a year. Works like a charm. Fast & Reliable. Almost, but not entirely, unlike Slasdot editors.

Re:Nice to get this from slashdot

[PopeRatzo]

I guess it could be considered rude to speak something other than English here

It's considered rude to speak something other than English anywhere.