Mobile payments and analytics player Bango has sealed a deal with Google to integrate its system with the internet giant’s Play apps store. The first mobile telecoms operator to deploy the system is Telstra in Australia.
Bango says it expects to add an increasing number of mobile operators as Android continues its upward momentum in the smartphone market.
In fact, the company’s move to integrate with Google Play was in response to requests by mobile operators.
“Android is winning the battle for smartphone market share,” Bango CEO Ray Anderson explained.
“As user numbers soar, we will see an increasing flow of developer talent and compelling content channelled through Google Play. We’re expecting that operator billing from Bango will boost conversion rates and developer monetisation. It’s a new weapon in Google’s armoury.”
The mobile carrier billing revolution
Bango is Facebook’s major partner for carrier billing, enabling the social network to process micropayments from smartphones in France, Germany and the UK.
Earlier this year, Bango announced an agreement to provide payment services to Amazon and has become a technology partner for MasterCard’s PayPass mobile wallet.
Telstra’s director of Consumer Applications and Services, Freddie Jansen Van Nieuwenhuizen, said the new service would make it easier for Australians to acquire the latest games and content for their mobile devices.
“Aussies love their mobile apps,” Van Nieuwenhuizen said.
“Telstra research shows that, on average, we download 36 apps each year and one in five of those are paid for.
“With more than 700,000 games, apps, books, movies and magazines now available on Google Play, including a wide selection of paid titles, many of our customers have told us they would like a simpler way to buy,” Van Nieuwenhuizen added.
App payments image via Shutterstock
