According to an O2 spokesperson, a “mobile wallet” by the company is apparently on the cards sometime later this year; thereby hinting that NFC (near field communication) is set to arrive in the UK.

NFC, which essentially is the future-technology-of-the-moment, is a capability currently available on the Google Nexus S handset. The technology chiefly enables the users to make payments using their handset.

While the O2 spokesperson revealed the company’s intentions of bringing the “mobile wallet” feature on to compatible handsets, further details are yet to be disclosed; and are apparently being withheld till the company actually gets closer to the launch of the new feature.

Nonetheless, the spokesperson did reveal that O2 is planning to make use of the NFC technology for mobile payments, person-to-person money transfer, as well as top-ups for its Pay and Go smartphones; and that the service will also be available to non-O2 users.

For the service, which will be available in the form of an app, O2 is reportedly putting in an application to the Financial Services Authority, seeking the permission to function as an independent financial services provider, without the requirement of partnering with a bank.

Meanwhile, other than O2, some other providers also have plans in place to mark their foray into the NFC arena. While Orange/T-Mobile tag team Everything Everywhere made a similar NFC-related announcement earlier this week; it is also being speculated that the Apple iPhone 5 will also probably boast the inclusion of the technology.