Mobile wallet solutions have yet to take off commercially; however, a mobile wallet solution with quite a lot of big name supporters has recently launched across the U.S., together with freebies and special offers. The mobile wallet solution in question is called Isis, and its backers include AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon. Interestingly enough, these companies blocked Google Wallet in the past, so it is quite surprising to see them putting support behind a similar technology.
There is hope among many in the industry that Isis will become the mobile payment solution of a large amount of people in the United States. However, Isis stands to compete with Google Wallet, which has recently escaped the clutches of carriers with the launch of the Google Nexus 5. Then again, many consumers might find that they prefer swiping a card rather than tapping the smartphone to make payments.
"Today's nationwide launch of the Isis Mobile Wallet is a milestone for consumers, merchants and banks. It's the start of a smarter way to pay," said Michael Abbott, chief executive officer, Isis. "Together, with our partners, we've built a seamless mobile commerce experience. We're pleased to bring the magic and simplicity of the Isis Mobile Wallet to consumers across the U.S."
"Isis is one of few truly independent wallets that is not tied to a specific financial institution, merchant or online marketing scheme. This wallet-as-a-platform approach positions Isis to unify the consumer experience across the many developing mobile shopping environments," said Rick Oglesby, senior analyst, Aite Group. "The national rollout is an important step towards making mobile payments a part of everyday retail experiences."
For Isis to work, the companion smartphone must have support for Enhanced SIM card with Secure Element to store important an sensitive data. If your phone lacks support for an Enhanced Sim card, an alert will pop up during installation that will guide you to a supported phone from your specified carrier.
At the moment, the Isis app is only available in the Google Play store for Android devices. An iPhone app will come soon; however, there's no word on whether or not Isis will make its way to Windows Phone in the near or distant future.
