Boku, an online payments provider, has announced a carrier billing partnership with Swisscom with a connection to the MNO’s direct billing API (view press release). The deal will provide around 6 million customers with direct-to-bill mobile operator billing as a payment option. This represents around 60% of Switzerland’s mobile market.
This integration will enable online merchants to increase their revenue by attracting new customers who find mobile the easiest way to pay online. Consumers will have to enter their mobile number at the checkout and will receive a PIN number. The PIN is then entered into the payment panel to confirm payment and charges show up on their wireless bill.
The advanced direct billing API supports desktop web, mobile in-app, and mobile web 1-tap payments, a user authentication process, notification of billing errors, and continuous pricing.
James Patmore, Senior Vice President at Boku, commented that: “Swisscom is an incredibly strong partner in Switzerland based not only on their market share but also their commitment to their partners and their customers. Their direct billing API will allow Boku to deliver a bank-grade carrier billing experience to the vast majority of Switzerland’s mobile users in one fell swoop; that’s a tremendous value for Boku and for Swiss mobile subscribers.”
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