Isis' mobile wallet trial launch set for Oct. 22

Isis
Isis is a go

Isis is less than a week away from launching its mobile payment service in test cities Salt Lake City, Utah and Austin, Texas, according to a report Wednesday.

Jaymee Johnson, Isis' head of marketing, sent an email to The Verge confirming Oct. 22 as the day these two cities will see the service touch down.

"Isis will be launching in Austin and Salt Lake City on Oct. 22.," Johnson said.

Not only is next Monday an auspicious day for the company in terms of getting its payment service into customer hands, further announcements are expected then as well.

"By year end, as many as 20 Isis Ready handsets are expected to be in market," Johnson continued. "We look forward to sharing more details on Oct. 22."

Mobile payments growing stateside

Isis was originally slated to launch in the two locals by the end of the summer, but the season came and went without the service in sight.

Backed by AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile, the NFC mobile wallet is set to contend with Google Wallet as it tries to convert the masses from cash and physical credit cards to digital transactions.

During MobileCon 2012, TechRadar witnessed a roundtable discussion between several mobile commerce company executives, including Ryan Hughes, chief marketing officer at Isis.

The feeling among the group was that the time is ripe for experimentation, not competition or so-called "wallet wars."

For one exec, successful mobile payment adoption looks like one out of four Americans using a service in the next five to eight years.

With Isis' impending test launch, that time frame might just make it.

Via The Verge

Michelle Fitzsimmons

Michelle was previously a news editor at TechRadar, leading consumer tech news and reviews. Michelle is now a Content Strategist at Facebook.  A versatile, highly effective content writer and skilled editor with a keen eye for detail, Michelle is a collaborative problem solver and covered everything from smartwatches and microprocessors to VR and self-driving cars.