The country’s third-biggest telecommunications company, Idea Cellular, is partnering with internet giant Google to offer operator billing for purchasing apps, books, music and other services on the latter’s platform. The two companies will make a formal announcement of the partnership on Thursday.
Until now, apps and other services on Google could be purchased only by using a credit card or an international debit card, as well as using Google Play vouchers that the US company sells through retail stores across the country.
With carrier billing, smartphone users can now directly bill to their prepaid account or post paid bill.
For Idea Cellular, the move would help it to increase its high-margin internet usage on its 3G and 4G networks, as subscribers would now use more data for accessing products, and services on Google’s platform.
At end of March, Idea Cellular had 22.91 million users on its 3G network, and 6,80,000 4G subscribers, while its average revenue per user declined to R191 from R196 a quarter earlier, according to its latest earnings report.
Google is likely to extend carrier billing or operator billing for its services with the top two operators, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone India, as well, but did not specify the timelines.
Bharti, Vodafone India and Idea Cellular, the country’s top three operators by subscribers and users, cater to almost 60% of the 1.03-billion mobile phone users that the country had at the end of February.
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