UK mobile companies take aim at Google Wallet, want in on the NFC action

By Terrence O'Brien

Oh Google, you didn't think you were going to have all the mobile payment fun did you? While you're beta testing in New York and San Francisco some big names across the pond are looking to dominate the entire UK. Vodafone, Telefonica, and Everything Everywhere (a joint venture between Orange and T-Mobile) are combining forces to create a mobile payment and marketing system that will take on Google Wallet and Offers before they even get off the ground in the British isles. The platform will be open to all comers, including Google, (you know, in case it decides to make Wallet a US only affair) and the companies have pledged to keep customer data out of the hands of third parties. The project is still in the very early stages of development, but the mobile providers aren't dilly dallying -- they expect their efforts to bear NFC fruit before the end of the year.

Wall Street Journal