Isis, a mobile wallet venture born out of a partnership between Verizon Wireless, AT&T and T-Mobile USA, will launch its trials in Salt Lake City and Austin, Texas, on Oct. 22. The goal is to have 20 Isis-ready mobile phones by the end of the year, according to an Isis spokesman. Isis will enter an arena occupied by the likes of Square and PayPal. Isis-ready phones will use near-field communication (NFC) to conduct transactions at retailers’ registers. NFC-enabled smartphones – a group that excludes the iPhone 5 – will need to download an app that will allow them to authorize a payment with a swipe close to an NFC terminal. (CNET News, Computerworld)
October 17, 2012
