Ting: Our average smartphone customer pays just $26 a month
Ting’s customers may use less cellular data than the national average, but they’re also a paying a lot less each month. That reflects the company’s pay-for-what-you-consume billing model.
U.S. regulators should just ban premium SMS products outright
As FTC’s crackdown on T-Mobile illustrates, SMS payment services are more trouble than their worth. With the exception of charitable giving, premium SMS should be outlawed.
Using a Samsung phone on a Telefónica network? Get ready for carrier billing
The world’s top handset manufacturer has signed up for Telefónica’s carrier billing service, which will let customers buy apps and content through the Samsung app store and charge it to their phone bill.
Why telcos may finally be moving past app store envy
In the slicing-up of the mobile content pie, carriers have been left out over the last few years. But, according to a new analyst report, that situation’s starting to change.
Google confirms Verizon customers will get carrier billing for Google Play
Add it to my tab, please: Verizon customers can soon add app and media content purchases from Google Play to their monthly phone bill, Google confirmed Thursday. Google previously struck similar partnerships with other U.S. carriers.
Telefónica, Telenor go after developers in tandem
The Wholesale Application Community’s dream of a single pool of APIs shared among all global carriers may have died, but Telefónica may be trying to revive it. It’s recruited fellow mega-operator Telenor into its BlueVia developer platform. Together they reach 400 million global subscribers.
Facebook turns on “frictionless” carrier billing via Bango
Facebook is turning on new streamlined carrier billing mobile web payments thanks to an integration with Bango. The payments, which can boost conversions up to 77 percent compared to 40 percent for traditional carrer billing payments, are going live in the US, UK and Germany.
Boku signs up Sprint, sets sights on physical good sales
Boku, one of the leaders in carrier billing, has finally signed a direct billing deal with Sprint, giving it direct integration with all four major U.S. operators. The broad coverage should make it more appealing to merchants and open up potential sales of non-digital goods.
Boku gets $35M in new VC funds to pursue offline payments
Boku, which recently introduced a white label platform called Boku Accounts with Mastercard that allows operators to offer in-store mobile payment services, has received $35 million in new funding from New Enterprise Associates and Telefonica Digital, to help it go after offline payments.
Boku targets carriers with in-store payment system
Boku up until now has been known for enabling carrier billing for online goods. But the San Francisco payment start-up is leaping into the physical world with the launch of a new white label offering for carriers that will include in-store payments.