Mobile payment firm Bango goes live with first Google Play link up

Australian deal could pave way for more partnerships with mobile networks

British mobile payments firm Bango has integrated its technology with Google Play, its first platform going live with Australian network operator Telstra. Formed in 1999 and listed on the London Stock Exchange since 2005, Bango’s one payment system is already used by well known brands such as Facebook, BlackBerry App World, Windows Phone Store and Amazon, with customers able to use their mobile phones to purchase goods with a single click, dispensing with the need for credit cards of SMS messaging.
Earlier this year the company revealed that several other mobile operators had approached it to use its software to connect their billing systems with Google Play,.

However, the Telstra deal is the first to allow users to buy digital content – such as books, films and music- from the search giant’s online store.

With Google’s Android OS now accounting for around three quarters of all smartphones sold, Bango says it is confident that other network operators will start going down the same route as Telstra.

It adds that it is still “too early” to forecast how such partnerships will translate into bottom line earnings, though.