Isis Announces Salt Lake City As Location of First NFC Payment Trial Market

The mobile payments collaboration headed up by AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon has just announced its first trial market. Isis will roll out an NFC Payment infrastructure to Salt Lake City, Utah for 2012. The plan includes enabling NFC payments for all sorts of goods and services, including Salt Lake City’s public transportation system. The new payments system hopes to be ready to go by the middle of next year, which could be key in its success. Sprint is rumored to be going it alone to establish their own mobile payment system, and is aiming to get it to market before all others in an effort to beat out competition.

Both Isis and Sprint’s mobile payment endeavors are part of a growing list of companies pursuing NFC and smartphones as the wallet of the future. See the full press release from Isis below.

Isis Advances Mobile Commerce with First Market

Isis Rolls Out Mobile Commerce Program in Salt Lake City and Partners with Utah Transit Authority to Make Entire Transit System Isis-Enabled

SALT LAKE CITY–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Isis, the mobile commerce joint venture between AT&T Mobility, T-Mobile USA and Verizon Wireless, today announced it will pilot the Isis mobile commerce program in Salt Lake City in early- to mid-2012. Isis has also entered into an agreement with Utah Transit Authority (UTA) to make the entire UTA transit system Isis-enabled, marking the deployment of Isis as the first commercially available mobile transportation fare payment program in the U.S. Additionally, Isis is investing in the necessary infrastructure to enable mobile commerce on a nationwide basis and will be available to all merchants, banks, payment networks and mobile carriers.

“By working with the Utah Transit Authority, Salt Lake Chamber and Salt Lake City-area merchants, Isis is bringing the mobile commerce vision to reality. Salt Lake City consumers will experience a new way to shop, pay and save,” said Michael Abbott, chief executive officer at Isis.

Salt Lake City: The Place You Can Leave Your Wallet At Home

Isis, which announced its formation in mid-November 2010, is focused on bringing mobile commerce to Salt Lake City using mobile phones to make point-of-sale purchases through the use of near-field communication (NFC) technology. The Isis system will evolve to offer customers a highly secure and convenient way to pay, redeem coupons and store merchant loyalty cards, all with the tap of their phone.

The Isis mobile payment program will roll out in 2012 and allow consumers to use their Isis-enabled mobile phones to make point-of-sale purchases at retailers across the Salt Lake City area and on UTA transportation.

“On behalf of the residents of Salt Lake City & County, Mayor Corroon and I would like to express our excitement that the Salt Lake City area has been chosen to lead the roll-out of Isis mobile payments,” said Mayor Ralph Becker, Salt Lake City.

“We are pleased Isis mobile payments will be available throughout the Salt Lake City area starting with the relationship with UTA, and we look forward to many other merchants throughout the county offering this exciting mobile commerce service,” added Mayor Peter Corroon, Salt Lake County.

UTA is a pioneer in contactless payments for transit in the U.S., having implemented a “tap on, tap off” system in early 2009. The existing system, which allows consumers to pay with their contactless credit and debit card by tapping an electronic fare reader on a bus or train platform, will allow Isis-enabled mobile phone users to pay using their phone.

“Partnering with Isis is a critical step forward in widespread mobile contactless acceptance throughout the Salt Lake City area,” said Michael Allegra, General Manager at Utah Transit Authority. “Isis allows us to build upon our existing ‘tap on, tap off’ system, and provide our customers with a new, more convenient way to use public transportation using only a mobile phone.”

“Salt Lake City is on the cutting edge in so many ways and we are committed to incorporating promising technologies to improve the quality of life for the people of our community,” said Lane Beattie, president and CEO of the Salt Lake Chamber. “As Utah’s largest business association representing over half the state’s workforce, we are excited about Isis as it gives our merchants a way to streamline their transactions and, more importantly, connect with their customers.”