European regulators clear mobile payment initiative from Everything Everywhere, O2, and Vodafone UK

Everything Everywhere, Vodafone UK, and O2 parent company Telefonica UK announced today that their mobile payment joint venture has received “unconditional clearance” from the European Commission. In a statement, the companies said they are now looking to launch their cross-carrier mobile payment platform in the UK “as quickly as possible,” though they have yet to announce a target date.

The as-yet-unnamed initiative will provide mobile wallet services to consumers, as well as a marketing and advertising platform for retailers. The idea, according to the carriers, is to make these services available across all major handsets and operating systems, both for in-store, contact-less purchases, as well as online commerce. This all-encompassing approach sounds similar to the ISIS initiative, which launched in the US last year.

Today’s announcement comes just a few days after Everything Everywhere announced a mobile wallet deal with MasterCard, capping off a busy month for the provider. The company, a joint venture between Orange and T-Mobile, won a major victory in August, when UK regulator Ofcom approved its plans to roll out LTE service in the UK ahead of the country’s official spectrum auction.