Everything Everywhere, Vodafone UK, and O2 parent company Telefonica UK announced today that their mobile payment joint venture has received "unconditional clearance" from the European Commission. In a statement, the companies said they are now looking to launch their cross-carrier mobile payment platform in the UK "as quickly as possible," though they have yet to announce a target date.
The as-yet-unnamed initiative will provide mobile wallet services to consumers, as well as a marketing and advertising platform for retailers. The idea, according to the carriers, is to make these services available across all major handsets and operating systems, both for in-store, contact-less purchases, as well as online commerce. This all-encompassing approach sounds similar to the ISIS initiative, which launched in the US last year.
Today's announcement comes just a few days after Everything Everywhere announced a mobile wallet deal with MasterCard, capping off a busy month for the provider. The company, a joint venture between Orange and T-Mobile, won a major victory in August, when UK regulator Ofcom approved its plans to roll out LTE service in the UK ahead of the country's official spectrum auction.