A demonstration of an Isis payments app running on an Android-powered HTC smartphone. Photo: Isis
Isis — the mobile payments joint venture from AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon — won’t be launching on time.
Back in May, Isis said its wave-and-pay network would launch in hundreds of retail locations throughout Salt Lake City, Utah, and Austin, Texas this summer before a planned nationwide retail launch at chains such as Foot Locker and Macy’s, and even in Coca-Cola machines. MasterCard, Visa, American Express and Discover have all said they would support the service. But the initial roll-out has been put on hold indefinitely, and Isis isn’t saying why yet. In an e-mailed statement, Isis told Wired: “We’re working through a final punch list of things to ensure a great consumer experience and seamless partner integration. The list is short, but a few pieces require additional time.”
The statement also said that Isis will have more information in October about “updated launch specifics and momentum news.” Ryan Hughes, the head of marketing at Isis, told CNET that the venture is focused on “making sure when we launch we do it properly and do it right” and that the delay shouldn’t be too long. Hughes also told the Wall Street Journal that “the delay is not a result of a change in strategy or a new business model.”
Isis’ strategy so far mirrors that of its major rival, Google Wallet. Both systems use near field communication (NFC) chips found in certain smartphones to store a user’s credit or debit card data. But while Isis is being held back by delays, Google Wallet is up and running, allowing users to wave or tap their smartphones to pay at more than 100,000 check-out scanners across the U.S.
Isis also faces growing competition from mobile payment apps made by Square and PayPal, neither of which are reliant on creating a network of NFC scanners or the selling of NFC-equipped phones (which there aren’t very many of right now).
To see just how far someone could take the idea of an e-wallet with today’s infrastructure, Wired’s Christina Bonnington has pledged to give up her real-world wallet for a full month. Starting today, she’ll be using only a smartphone for purchases, ID, and the like. The Isis news certainly won’t make her life any easier.
Source: http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2012/09/isis-mobile-payments-launch-delayed-att-t-mobile-verizon/
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