Bango has implemented direct carrier billing (DCB) for Google Play with Idea Cellular in India. This is the first time Android users in India have been able to charge purchases in the Google Play store to their phone bills.
Idea is the sixth largest mobile operator in the world, its 182 million subscribers can now use DCB to pay for apps, games, music, movies and much more from Google Play, charging the cost to their phone bill in one-click. Credit card penetration in India is less than 3%, limiting customers’ ability to purchase mobile content and services. With today’s launch, Idea subscribers have a secure payment method that works on prepaid and postpaid mobile billing plans, both on the Idea data network and over Wi-Fi. This capability opens up the vast world of mobile entertainment content and services offered in Google Play to Idea customers, setting the pace in India for other app stores and operators to follow.
The launch with Idea Cellular is the latest example of a major new market for app stores pioneering DCB with the Bango Payment Platform. Carrier billing for Google Play was implemented for the first time in Latin America and Africa through Bango in 2015. The Bango Payment Platform enables the app store to maintain a standard technical and operational model for carrier-billed payments everywhere, with Bango handling local market variations to ensure stores can scale payments quickly and consistently.
Commenting on the announcement Bango CEO Ray Anderson said: “Taking Google Play carrier billing to India is a major milestone for Bango. India offers enormous potential for online commerce. We are pleased to provide Idea’s 182 million subscribers with a universal payment method so they can enjoy the complete app store experience, and to expand the reach of carrier billing in the Google Play store.”
