I've been talking about NFC technology a lot lately, but we now have information from Deutsche Telekom about Isis, the partnership between many telecom providers such as Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile USA whose aim is to bring NFC payment technology into the mainstream, as well as when we should finally see the possiblity of NFC payment turn into a reality.
According to the press release from Deutsche Telekom, the German parent company of T-Mobile, they will start distributing NFC payment systems, dubbed “Mobile Wallet”, sometime this year in several markets.
PhoneScoop writes that the companies who are expected to launch NFC-capable phones this year include Samsung (probably referring to the Nexus S), LG, RIM, and Apple (likely iPhone 5).
They anticipate T-Mobile USA to begin introducing the service this year, and full roll-out sometime in 2012. Germany and Poland can expect the service to go online this year, while other markets (US, Czech Republic, Netherlands) following next year.
They also report that Deutsche Telekom anticipates the technology to be utilized for mobile payments, as well as purchasing public transportation tickets, loyalty programs, supermarket discount cards, and several security features to guard against theft or loss of the phone itself.
This is the first time to my knowledge that we've seen a commited date on the rollout of NFC payment technology, and I'm very excited to be living in Berlin at the time when the technology will be implemented. I'll make sure to review the ease of using it once I've had a chance to try it out myself.
Image from Engadget
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