Isis Delays Launch Date

NEW YORK -- Retailers and consumers will have to wait a little longer for the launch of the Isis mobile wallet, as the company pushed back the launch date.

According to CNET, Isis has chosen to take its time to ensure all of its pieces work together. "Our focus has been on making sure when we launch we do it properly and do it right," said Ryan Hughes, head of marketing for Isis, in an interview.

Hughes declined to explain why the project was delayed, only saying Isis was going through a "punch list" of objectives and that the wait wouldn't be too long. He added he would be back in October with additional "market momentum news."

The report added that Isis isn't changing its plans to become a service provider that would allow banks, payment networks, and merchants run on top of its system, Hughes said. Rather than take a cut of each transaction, the business would charge a fee for use of the platform.

"The task we undertook was a fairly complex one," he said, adding that the company is not running into any major issues.

Isis is a joint venture between AT&T Mobility LLC, T-Mobile USA and Verizon Wireless. The company had originally hoped to debut the mobile wallet in the first half of 2012. However, after delaying the date as it shifted transaction responsibilities from carriers to credit card issuers Isis set a September debut.

As CSNews Online reported earlier this year, Isis joined with VeriFone Systems Inc. to pool their sales, marketing and implementation teams in order to target large retailers, and gas and convenience store merchants to be the first to debut the Isis Mobile Commerce Application. Salt Lake City and Austin, Texas, were tapped as the first markets. Maverik Stores Inc., based in Salt Lake City, became one of the first retailers to sign on to the launch of the Isis mobile wallet.