Business
Strategic Partnership with Etisalat Group
Strategic Partnership with Etisalat Group.
About this update from Bango Plc
[{"type":"text","content":"\n \nRNS Number : 8809I Bango PLC 05 June 2014 \n \n\n \n \n05 June 2014\nEmbargoed until 07:00\nBANGO PLC \n(\"Bango\")\n \nStrategic Partnership with Etisalat Group\n \nGroup-wide deal to deliver operator billing for app store ecosystems - Google Play and BlackBerry now live\n \nBango (AIM: BGO), the mobile payments company, and telecoms giant Etisalat Group have entered into a partnership to enable Direct Operator Billing across Etisalat's markets in Asia, the Middle East and Africa. The established partnership between Bango and Etisalat has already seen Direct Operator Billing launched for users of BlackBerry World in 2013. This new agreement will deliver further app store integrations, the first of which is for Google Play, which is now live. Etisalat and Bango expect to be able to announce further Direct Operator Billing app store integrations in the coming period.\n \nEtisalat is the first operator to offer Direct Operator Billing for Google Play users in the Middle East, where subscribers can now enjoy frictionless one-click payment powered by Bango, paying on their phone bill. The agreement between Bango and Etisalat will accelerate the availability of charge to bill payment, connecting tens of millions of Etisalat subscribers to operator billing, while providing a massive boost to digital content sales across the region. \n \nThe Middle East is seeing substantial smartphone growth, with device numbers expected to almost double this year, from 67 million in 2013 to 112.2 million in 2014 (IDC). New smartphone consumers in the region are young; 44% of the population is under 20 years old and hungry for apps, music, games and other digital content. With app stores racing to embrace the technology, Direct Operator Billing is emerging as a vital mobile commerce enabler, using the mass reach of phone and phone bill to democratize access to digital content. While card ownership is widespread in the Middle East region, users are reluctant to pay online with cards, but operator-billed payments - without the need to register personal details - are popular.\n \nEtisalat has selected the Bango Payment Platform following a thorough competitive evaluation. Bango's ability to deploy operator billing for the key app store ecosystems is built on Bango's high performance, in...