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Sprint reportedly prepping at least 10 Google Wallet-enabled phones for 2012

Sprint reportedly prepping at least 10 Google Wallet-enabled phones for 2012

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Google's vice president of Google Wallet and Payments reportedly told a panel at Mobile World Congress that Sprint will be introducing 10 new phones this year utilizing the mobile payment service.

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Gallery Photo: Sprint Galaxy Nexus, LG Viper, and Sierra Wireless Tri-Network Hotspot hands-on
Gallery Photo: Sprint Galaxy Nexus, LG Viper, and Sierra Wireless Tri-Network Hotspot hands-on

We already knew that Sprint planned to release the forthcoming LG Viper and its own variant of the Galaxy Nexus with Google Wallet support, but it appears the company has much bigger plans for Mountain View's mobile payment system. FierceMobileContent is reporting that Osama Bedier, Google's vice president of Google Wallet and Payments, told an MWC panel this week that Sprint will be introducing "at least 10 additional phones" with support for the service this year. It's unclear if this includes the already-announced devices, or is simply in addition to the Nexus S 4G that Sprint currently carries, but it's a significant move nonetheless. With the mobile payment space heating up, AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile have thrown their weight behind the ISIS network. It leaves Sprint as the odd carrier out, but it also allows the company to fully embrace Google's system as a real differentiator: Google Wallet has already rolled out nationwide, while ISIS will still only be available in two markets later this year. Of course, with Wal-Mart and Target rumored to be developing their own system, the battle for mobile payment system dominance is only just beginning.