Google is reportedly considering offering NFC revenue sharing deals to mobile operators, in a bid to foster adoption of its mobile payment service.
The search giant is weighing a revamp of Google Wallet due to slow adoption, and is considering courting US carriers Verizon Wireless and AT&T to get the scheme back on track. Progress has been stymied by a lack of compatible handsets, and the departure of two key executives who created the software for the program, Bloomberg reports.
Verizon Wireless and AT&T - the two largest carriers in the US – and T-Mobile USA teamed up in 2010 to establish a joint venture to produce the competing ISIS payment system. The companies have previously announced plans to invest millions of dollars into the venture.
Google is reportedly also considering sidestepping operators altogether, and using its own servers for authentication. The downside of that approach is it might require additional hardware to be deployed on in-store NFC payment terminals.