Isis delays launch to work on new features
Isis is one of the most anticipated mobile payment platforms that the world of mobile commerce has ever known. Isis is represented by a consortium of three major telecommunications companies – AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon Wireless – and is expected to dominate the m-commerce industry with little trouble. This consortium has done much to draw attention to the Isis platform and prepare for its arrival by investing heavily in the development of a mobile commerce infrastructure. Earlier this year, the consortium announced that Isis would be launched at some point at the end of the summer. This plan seems to have changed.
Limited launch of Isis put on hold until early October
The plan called for Isis to see a limited launch in Salt Lake City, Utah, or Texas, at the end of the summer. The limited launch was meant to test the waters of mobile commerce and ramp up hype for the platform. The Isis consortium has been investing in the development of an NFC-based, mobile commerce infrastructure in these two cities and has even been releasing videos concerning the features of the platform and how consumers can use it. Isis will not be ready for release by the end of the summer, however, due to last minute development on new features.
Partnerships formed through Isis remain strong
Isis has revised its plans for launch to be at some point in early October. The delayed launch has cast some doubt on the capabilities of Isis and the stability of the partnerships that were formed during its development. To date, Isis is the only mobile payment platform that has won the favor and support of the world’s largest financial institutions. Banks and credit organizations have expressed their commitment to see Isis launched successfully. The most significant problem that exists currently, according to Isis, is the lack of NFC-enabled mobile devices.
Availability of NFC-enabled devices could affect success of platform
Isis is expected to be a direct competitor with Google. Google released its Wallet platform a little over a year ago and, despite a rocky start, has managed to find a degree of success amongst tech-savvy consumers. Both Isis and Google are expected to be confronted by the same problems presented by the low availability of NFC-enabled mobile devices. Without these devices, mobile payment platforms of any kind are not likely to find the success they crave.