[May 05, 2015] |
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Boku Launches on Google Play in the Middle East
Boku (News - Alert), the global leader in direct carrier billing-based mobile payments,
has announced a new partnership to bring direct carrier billing to
Google Play™ for Zain (News - Alert) subscribers in Saudi Arabia. As smartphone
penetration and demand for digital content grows in the Middle East,
direct carrier billing is emerging as a key payment method for accessing
mobile content across the region.
As a result of the partnership, Zain subscribers can use one-tap mobile
payments to purchase games and apps in the Google (News - Alert) Play store. The
charges can be completed using only the subscriber's phone number and
appear on the subscriber's mobile phone bill or are deducted from the
subscriber's prepaid balance, with no additional personal information or
credit card required. This benefit is particularly important in Saudi
Arabia, where only 17% of consumers have a credit card and only 46% have
any kind of bank account, according to the World Bank.
"By connecting with Boku, Zain KSA brings tremendous value to their
subscribers who want a trusted and seamless way to purchase their
favorite Google Play content," said Boku CEO Jon Prideaux. "Given our
leading market position, Boku is well positioned to extend this
partnership to other carriers across the globe. The opportunities for
carriers are truly limitless when a company with Boku's global footprint
integrates with one of the world's most popular app stores."
MT2 is the largest technical billing platform in the Middle East. They
power the billing infrastructure for Zain KSA,one of the leading
carriers in the Middle East and Africa, providing a comprehensive range
of mobile voice and data services to over 46 million active individual
and business customers.
"Innovation is a vital part of the transformation plan we are currently
implementing, striving to offer our customers the best possible customer
experience," said Hassan Kabbani Zain KSA CEO. "With Boku's experience
in carrier billing, our goal is to provide our subscribers with a
frictionless checkout experience to make digital content purchases
through Google Play."
Google Play is a trademark of Google Inc.
About Boku
Boku, the leading direct carrier billing mobile payments company,
reaches more than 4 billion consumers in more than 70 countries. Its
bank-grade payments technology allows consumers to charge purchases to
their mobile phone bill. Boku partners with global merchants including
Facebook, Sony, Spotify (News - Alert), Electronic Arts, Wargaming, and many more.
Based in San Francisco with offices in Europe, Latin America, and Asia,
Boku is funded by leading Silicon Valley entrepreneurs and venture
capitalists including Andreessen Horowitz, Benchmark Capital, DAG
Ventures, Index Ventures, Khosla Ventures, and NEA.
Useful Links:
Boku website: http://www.boku.com Media
Kit: http://www.boku.com/press
About Zain Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom's most recent telecommunication company, Zain KSA began
providing mobile and data services in August 2008. Today, it serves more
than 9 million customers - including 3 million MBB customers - and
boasts network coverage across 96% of the Kingdom's regions through more
than 6,000 cell sites. Through its state-of-the-art 4G LTE (News - Alert) network and
9,200 points of sale, the ever-evolving operator attracts thousands of
new voice and data customers daily. Constant development of its telecom
infrastructure, exceptional customer service, and innovative marketing
initiatives are the pillars of Zain KSA's "Winning Through Caring"
strategy with the ultimate objective of offering unparalleled customer
experience. These solid steps have set the company aims at achieving
further success by tapping into new segments and experiencing growth in
its B2B services. Home to a greatly experienced, majority-Saudi
workforce, Zain KSA continues to employ high-caliber talent.
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