NFC: Google Wallet not present in Verizon’s Galaxy Nexus

Business is business. While the Galaxy Nexus comes with NFC, the version supported by Verizon won’t be able to exploit the Google Wallet non-contact payment system.

US carrier Verizon Wireless is planning to release the Galaxy Nexus smartphone, the first running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, for 299 dollars with a two year subscription, although they will block the Google Wallet service.

Google Wallet is a mobile payment system which uses NFC (Near Field Communications) paired with Google Offers, with the service unveiled in May 2011 and launched in September in the United States. It uses the Nexus S smartphone as its base, with the device coming with an NFC module


Google Wallet won’t be available at Verizon
The problem is that Google Wallet has been created outside of what mobile carriers are currently developing, with the exception of Sprint Nextel who is the only official partner of the service that distributes the handset.

For mobile payments, Verizon Wireless is looking at using the ISIS NFC initiative which is being developed by numerous US mobile carriers (AT&T and T-Mobile) with the support of multiple manufacturers. This system will offer a distinct non-contact payment system which will have the NFC services controlled by the SIM card.

The Google Wallet system, designed to bypass mobile carriers in its operation (besides providing compatible handsets), is therefore of no interest to Verizon, who instead prefers implementing their own system controlled by the carrier, although this will only be launched in 2012.

Google has confirmed that Verizon has requested that the Google Wallet service not be included in the Galaxy Nexus smartphones that they will distribute, although no reasons were provided as to why.