Austin just became ground zero for the future of your wallet. Isis, the ambitious mobile payments joint venture backed by the nation's biggest wireless carriers, officially flipped the switch on its long-awaited commercial launch Tuesday, choosing Austin and Salt Lake City as the first two cities to roll out the technology to everyday consumers.
The service allows shoppers to ditch the plastic and pay for purchases directly from their smartphones using near-field communication technology — essentially letting you tap your phone at a checkout terminal instead of swiping a card. Isis is a collaboration between AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon, three competitors who set aside their rivalries to take on the rapidly evolving digital payments space.
Austin's selection as a launch market is no surprise given the city's reputation as a hotbed for tech adoption and innovation. Local retailers and merchants equipped with NFC-compatible point-of-sale hardware are already part of the rollout, giving Austin residents an early crack at what the carriers are betting will become the new normal for everyday transactions.
The mobile payments arena is growing increasingly crowded, with Google Wallet and a parade of fintech startups already competing for consumer attention. Isis, however, is betting that carrier-level integration gives it a built-in distribution advantage that app-only rivals simply can't match.
Participating users will need an NFC-enabled handset and a supported carrier plan to get started. The company has been running a closely watched pilot program for months, and today's announcement marks the transition from testing to real-world commerce.
For Austinites who have been watching the mobile payments wave build from a distance, that wave just hit the shore. Keep your eyes on local storefronts — the checkout line is about to look a whole lot different.