Using your mobile phone to trade in equity may soon be a reality. The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) are currently examining the possibility of creating a framework to allow sale and purchase of shares through cellphones.

The move will open new vistas in value-added services for telecom operators and also mark the real beginning of m-commerce (mobile commerce) in the country, industry players say.

At present, telecom firms facilitate only portfolio tracking that keeps one aware of stock prices through the day. Once trading is allowed on mobile phones, subscriber will just need to type in stock symbols of companies whose shares they wish to purchase/sell, specify the quantity of shares and the price.

Mobile operators have also urged the RBI to amend the banking regulations to allow telephonic money transfers. If allowed, those wishing to transfer money need to just approach the retail outlet of a service provider and buy a pre-paid voucher of the required denomination. At present, this cannot be done since banking regulations do not allow trading minutes for money.

Value added services today earn the telecom industry Rs 3,000 crore and constitute just 6-8 per cent of the total revenue. In Japan and South Korea, it is as high as 20-25 per cent.