The three largest UK wireless providers that include O2, Vodafone and Everything Everywhere have announced they will join forces to offer mobile wallet services to customers. According to MocoNews, the three will offer a cross-platform solution to banks, merchants, advertisers and other marketing partners to get the technology and its widespread use off the ground. The cooperation seems to be just what NFC needs, as the hardware is becoming increasingly available, with many of the Android-powered handsets getting it and the OS itself coming with the needed software hooks.
Earlier, the companies tried to get mobile payments technology into the hands of many, with no success. Even Orange started a trial with Barclaycard in the UK less than a month ago. As the payments will be SIM-based, the carriers will process the payments and users will have the ability to pay them off on their monthly phone bills.
The joint venture will need regulatory approval before it can proceed, however. More details on the undertaking will come soon.
