Microsoft is not going to be left behind when it comes to mobile payments, if a report from Bloomberg today is correct. The newswire’s sources claim that the Redmond company is already working to enable Near Field Communication (NFC) in Windows Phone 7, and the first devices with the technology may debut later this year.

Bloomberg had also reported that Google was set to offer its own NFC solution, aiming to test the technology in New York City and San Francisco later this year through a partnership with Verifone. Rumors of NFC in the iPhone have persisted as well, although there has been conflicting reports over the last week or two on whether it would make it to the “iPhone 5.”

It is not clear which payment vendor Microsoft would partner up with in order to make NFC a reality, although Bloomberg surmises its partnership with Nokia could help the company bring it to the market. Nokia has been one of the leaders in the technology, and various types of mobile payment solutions have been a reality in Scandinavia for many years now.

Nokia has pledged to make NFC a standard feature on any Symbian-based smartphone it releases this year. With the company planning to transition some models to Windows Phone, it’s not out of the question to expect the technology in those devices as well.

 
Comments are closed


Read more: Microsoft, mobile payments, NFC, Nokia