ISIS will rebrand NFC payment service following violence in Middle East

July 9, 2014

Following the rise of the ISIS militant group, or Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, in the Middle East, NFC-based mobile payment service ISIS, which is formed out of a joint venture between AT&T Mobility, Verizon Wireless, and T-Mobile, will be re-branding its services. Though the decision was made for a rebranding to distance ISIS from the ongoing violence in the Middle East, the mobile payment venture has not disclosed what its new name will be in the future.

"However coincidental, we have no interest in sharing a name with a group whose name has become synonymous with violence and our hearts go out to those who are suffering," the company said in a statement. "As a company, we have made the decision to rebrand."

ISIS' tap-to-pay NFC service is available on a number of Android handsets available through AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon. Additionally, Apple's iPhone, despite the lack of a built-in NFC radio and chip, can also be made compatible with the ISIS payment service through a third-party case that integrates the NFC radio and connects to the phone via either the Lightning port or the 30-pin dock connector.

Source: ISIS