The number of tickets delivered to mobile phones will increase to 23 billion worldwide by 2016, more than quadrupling estimates of 4 billion delivered in 2011, according to a new forecast issued by Juniper Research.

Juniper credits the anticipated growth to mobile ticketing's potential to solve key problems facing facility operators in both the transportation and events markets. Selling and delivering tickets via mobile device enables these companies to reduce their staffing and real estate requirements, translating to increased profitability.

One in eight mobile users in Western Europe will use their phones to enable contactless transit ticketing by 2016, Juniper states. The firm also projects that Near Field Communications-enabled services will generate more than half of all mobile ticketing revenue by the end of the forecast period.

Juniper warns that mobile ticketing applications must be easy to use and guarantee both security and reliability, adding that a single poor user experience could have a long-term impact on how a consumer perceives the technology.

"Mobile ticketing may be the first mobile commerce application that will be adopted at a mass market level, so it's important that users receive a first-class experience," said report author David Snow.