US mobile operator Verizon Wireless has joined industry association NFC Forum as a principal member.

The carrier is one of the three mobile operators who set up Isis, the US joint venture behind a mobile payment service based on NFC technology. The other operators involved in Isis are AT&T and T-Mobile.

The principal level is next to the top tier of the NFC Forum and includes “significant participation opportunities”, according to the announcement.

Amongst the other new members is Discover Financial Services, the credit card firm which is working with PayPal to enable mobile payments in the US market.