We've mentioned it plenty of times now that NFC is a new technology and as it grows, we'll hear more about it.  Today is one of those days where we learn more. The latest news comes to us from ISIS. If you're not familiar with that name and who they are - ISIS is a joint venture between AT&T Mobility, T-Mobile USA and Verizon Wireless and was the first to have agreements is in place for NFC payments with all four major credit card providers. As NFC technology grows, they'll be working with everyone possible to help expand the use of NFC wherever possible.

Today, ISIS has announced they've teamed up with HTC, LG, Motorola Mobility, RIM, Samsung Mobile, Sony Ericsson and DeviceFidelity which have all promised to offer NFC equipped devices in the near future or already have devices in the market. So what does this mean for NFC? Well, basically -- a lot more devices will arrive with NFC enabled and all those carriers involved (AT&T Mobility, T-Mobile USA and Verizon Wireless) will have widespread use cases, such as paying your bills with NFC.

“Isis’ technology standards provide the direction and certainty needed for the development and deployment of NFC devices and the mobile commerce ecosystem,” said Scott Mulloy, chief technology officer, Isis. “Working together with the device makers and our founding mobile carriers, Isis can provide the consumer choice and scale necessary for widespread adoption of mobile commerce.” 

RIM is on board for this of course as they already have NFC capable devices in the market, so the NFC space, while not instantly impacted, is growing. Between this announcement and the launch of Google Wallet, NFC is growing quite rapidly now that things are coming together. The argument for NFC and its usage is a strange one. Many people hope to see such things as contactless transfer of things like phone numbers, business cards and other data, but I've always maintained the position that NFC has to be profitable before it will become used in those manners.

If nothing else, the ISIS announcement lends some credit to that as its main focus is based on mobile payments. Again, NFC is new and those invested in it want to see profit from it before they really advance it into everyday things beyond payment of services. You can read the full press release past the break if you're looking for the full details.

HTC, LG, Motorola Mobility, RIM, Samsung Mobile, Sony Ericsson and DeviceFidelity to Implement Isis NFC and Technology Standards

Mobile Device Makers to Accelerate Adoption of Mobile Commerce; NFC Architecture Provides Security and Convenience

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Isis, the joint venture between AT&T Mobility, T-Mobile USA and Verizon Wireless, announced today that HTC, LG, Motorola Mobility, RIM, Samsung Mobile and Sony Ericsson will introduce NFC-enabled mobile devices that implement Isis’ NFC and technology standards. For consumers who have or purchase smartphones that are not NFC-enabled, Isis is working with DeviceFidelity to add NFC functionality to the mobile device, ensuring a wide range of consumer choice.

“Isis’ technology standards provide the direction and certainty needed for the development and deployment of NFC devices and the mobile commerce ecosystem,” said Scott Mulloy, chief technology officer, Isis. “Working together with the device makers and our founding mobile carriers, Isis can provide the consumer choice and scale necessary for widespread adoption of mobile commerce.”

NFC-enabled phones will allow Isis consumers to securely make payments, store and present loyalty cards and redeem offers at participating merchants with the tap of their phones.

“Today’s announcement signals the growing acceptance of NFC technology by some of the world’s leading device makers,” said Kouji Kodera, chief product officer, HTC Corporation. “At HTC, we see tremendous opportunities for consumers and merchants as we move beyond traditional payments to a future of NFC-enabled mobile commerce.”

“NFC technology on LG devices will provide consumers with an all-in-one mobile experience that delivers convenience without comprising security or piece of mind,” said Jeff Hwang, president, LG Mobile Phones. “Creating the ideal mobile wallet, LG NFC enabled devices will help change the way consumers shop, pay and save.”

“NFC is the future of mobile payments and will ensure that transactions are done securely from mobile devices,” said Christy Wyatt, corporate vice president of software and services product management, Motorola Mobility. “Through working with Isis as well as the broader Android ecosystem, we look forward to providing consumers with NFC-enabled handsets that make mobile commerce a reality.”

By using NFC-enabled smartphones, Isis will enhance how consumers, banks, payment networks and merchants interact, significantly modernizing the payment experience.

“RIM is working in close collaboration with Isis to help make the concept of mobile commerce a reality,” said Andrew Bocking, vice president of BlackBerry Software, Research In Motion. “The new line-up of BlackBerry® 7 smartphones include various models that are NFC-enabled and demonstrates RIM’s commitment to enabling NFC-based experiences on BlackBerry.”

“The key to widespread adoption of mobile commerce will be the broad availability of NFC-enabled handsets,” said Dale Sohn, president, Samsung Telecommunications America (Samsung Mobile). “Samsung Mobile will be working with Isis and the mobile carriers to ensure NFC-enabled handsets are widely available to consumers.”

Isis is committed to developing a comprehensive, open mobile commerce platform that aligns the interests of all key stakeholders and provides consumers with freedom of choice and security.

“NFC offers consumers the ability to broaden their communication experience beyond the phone, and common standards and best practices are key to a secure and convenient mobile commerce experience. Sony Ericsson is poised to be part of this movement and to drive the development of new, exciting and creative experiences to deliver the most entertaining smartphones,” said Jan Uddenfeldt, chief technology officer, Sony Ericsson.

“DeviceFidelity is proud to be among those chosen by Isis to power its NFC mobile wallet offering,” said Deepak Jain, chief executive officer and co-founder, DeviceFidelity. “Working side-by-side with Isis and leading handset makers, we aim to provide the scale and choice of consumer preferred devices to ignite the industry and assure continual mass adoption of mobile commerce.”

About Isis

The joint venture is between AT&T Mobility LLC, T-Mobile USA and Verizon Wireless and is based in New York City. The venture is chartered with building ISIS™, a national mobile commerce platform that will fundamentally transform how people shop, pay and save. The Isis mobile commerce platform will be available to all merchants, banks and mobile carriers. Isis is a trademark of JVL Ventures, LLC in the U.S. and/or other countries. Other logos, product and company names mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

www.paywithisis.com

Cautionary Language Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

Information set forth in this press release contains financial estimates and other forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties, and actual results might differ materially. The words "anticipate," "believe," "expect," "may," "plan," "should" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, those set forth in the discussions of factors that may affect future results contained in Securities and Exchange Commission filings of AT&T, Deutsche Telekom AG (T-Mobile USA is the U.S. wireless arm of Deutsche Telekom AG), and Verizon Communications (of which Verizon Wireless is a subsidiary). AT&T, T-Mobile USA, and Verizon disclaim any obligation to update and revise statements contained in this news release based on new information or otherwise.