Zong Pakistan, Fortumo team for direct carrier billing

Mobile payments company Fortumo and China Mobile Pakistan (Zong) have entered into a direct carrier billing partnership in Pakistan.

Digital content merchants and app stores using the Fortumo carrier billing platform can now collect payments from 26 million Zong customers in the country. Fortumo is the only global direct carrier billing provider in Pakistan, where the company has been working together with Telenor Pakistan since July 2014.

“Millions of people in emerging markets are accessing the internet only from their phones,” said Gerri Kodres, chief business officer at Fortumo. “This new digital audience is connected to the world but cannot access paid content as a majority of them do not own credit cards.”

An estimated 56 million Pakistanis now have a smartphone. The adoption of smartphones in the country is helped by both Zong and Telenor Pakistan launching 3G networks in 2014.

Fortumo’s direct carrier billing platform allows users to make payments over a data connection by confirming purchases with one click on their phone. Payments are processed without any additional information required from the mobile user which provides a significant conversion improvement compared to any other online payment method.

Fortumo’s direct carrier billing platform is currently available to over 1.3 billion people in 16 Asian countries. Globally Fortumo covers 95 countries and reaches over 3 billion end-users with its carrier billing solution.