T-Mobile USA has announced the introduction of Direct Carrier Billing, which provides its subscribers with a new mobile commerce solution that lets them buy digital products and services using their web enabled mobile devices such as PCs and netbooks, but also smartphones and tablets.
Direct Carrier Billing was originally meant to leverage partner billing services from Boku, Zong, BilltoMobile, Payfone, and OpenMarket, and it allows customers to make purchases of digital products such as games, music, videos, or social networking credits so that they never need to enter their credit card data, but could instead have the charge added directly to their monthly mobile bill.
This also gives the T-Mobile USA customers the security of age-appropriate content blocking, fraud controls, and management tools regarding limits for spending amounts, as well as a simple purchase verification and authentication process that can be completed in two quick steps.
It is anticipated that Direct Carrier Billing will begin with T-Mobile USA starting before the end of August in specific merchant websites. From there, they have stated that they intend to grow the program so that there will be an increasing number of strategic billing service partners as well as content providers.
Options for direct operator billing have been available from T-Mobile USA for the purchase of Android Market apps since 2009. When it joined with AT&T and Verizon Wireless at the end of 2010, they launched the Isis network of m-commerce across the country, with promises for future abilities regarding the use of mobile devices for discount coupon redemption, merchant loyalty card use, and even point of sale transactions.
