Is the Windows Phone 8 going to be the Smartphone King or a Mere Prince? (Part 5)

They need to prevent Wireless Carriers from Messing Up the Digital Wallet.

When PocketNow says Windows Phone 8 will allow for “carrier-branded” mobile wallet services, which makes it possible to use their phones in markets instead of cash or cards of any sort. This makes me worried.

It’s no secret that carriers are working on their own mobile payment platform, called Isis, which is probably what PocketNow is referring to. But because Isis hasn’t launched yet, it’s not clear how the service will work.

I’m worried that this feature will be used for a new battle between mobile carriers. They will create their own brand of competition or proprietary services that won’t work with other devices, taking the walled garden approach.

That could become a problem if you’ve got several Windows-based machines, and not all of them are tied to the same wireless carrier.

So will this be a good move ahead or a bad one? Will we be able to have total freedom when it comes to usage and full control when it comes to our devices? We’ll just have to wait and see what the carriers will do.