Not everyone who wants to buy apps or content on the Internet have credit cards, for one reason or another. Online retail giants have to find a way to reach that segment of the market as well, because they can be profitable as well. Google introduced carrier billing a few years back for their Play Store, and now they are adding a few more countries in Europe and Asia that can let users charge their purchases to their respective participating carriers.
Residents and subscribers to the following carriers (with the estimated number of subscribers in the parentheses) can buy games, apps, music, movies, books, etc without having a credit or debit card: France’s Free (9M), Hungary’s TMI (5.4M), Indonesia’s Telkomsel (139M), Slovakia’s PPF (1.7M), and Taiwan’s Taiwan Mobile (7.6M). Except for Telkomsel, the number of subscribers above aren’t really that many, but of course it is still good news for those several million.
Meanwhile, the Indonesian carrier is actually the 7th largest in the world and around 55% of those on the network are Android users. A lot of the users in emerging markets in the mobile market are not that keen on getting credit or even debit cards, so this is a great alternative for them to still be able to have access to not just apps, but in-app purchases as well.
Oh and in case you’re worried about overcharging to your carrier, they do have a cap on how much you can charge in a day. Telkomsel for example will only allow subscribers to charge a maximum of $155 per day. If you’re subscriber to any of these added networks, check out your carrier’s website to see instructions on how you can start availing of carrier billing.
VIA: Android Police
Add pakistan telenor to carrier billing for purchasing apps
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