Bango Provides App Store-Quality Payments to Select Digital Merchants

Bango’s recent payments platform allows app stores and select digital merchants to bill customers via mobile devices.

The platform provides Direct Operator Billing (DOB), and payments can go beyond app stores, and include mobile websites and HTML5 web apps.

As an added plus, Bango integrates into over 130 mobile network operator billing systems, which connect operators to Google Play, Windows Phone Store, Facebook (News - Alert), BlackBerry World and Firefox Marketplace. In addition, participating merchants will be given similar data centers, networks processes, systems, technology and DOB integrations that are used by app stores.

In turn, they can expect higher revenue and more conversions. It will initially be offered to digital merchants in the United Kingdom.

“Bango is uniquely positioned to bring app store quality payments to digital merchants,” Ray Anderson, CEO of Bango, said in a statement. “Only Bango delivers Direct Operator Billing to most of the world’s app stores across more than 130 of the world’s leading mobile operators. Bango has completely rejected Premium SMS payment, in favor of quality, direct operator integrations and uniquely authenticates users for one-click payment, even on Wi-Fi. By bringing these capabilities to the reach of digital merchants, Bango is promoting the best possible user experience, raising the bar for operator billed payments worldwide.”

Bango has also announced it has agreed to a partnership with Etisalat (News - Alert) to deploy DOB across Etisalat Group’s markets in Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Users will get one-click payment without the entering personal details. The partnership starts with users of BlackBerry (News - Alert) World, and will provide app store integrations, starting with Google Play.

The market in the Middle East makes sense for the technology with the number of smartphones likely to go from 67 million in 2013 to 112.2 million in 2014, according to data provided by IDC (News - Alert).

“Bango has emerged as the de facto global leader in direct operator billing, powering many of the world’s largest app stores, including Amazon, BlackBerry World, Facebook, Firefox Marketplace, Google Play, Windows Phone (News - Alert) Store and with more than 130 live operator connections,” the company added in a statement.