Spanish incumbent Telefonica is in active discussions to secure further integrated carrier billing alliances after partnering with Canadian smartphone manufacturer RIM.
The operator is talking to device manufacturers and content developers to enable more…
Spanish incumbent Telefonica is in active discussions to secure further integrated carrier billing alliances after partnering with Canadian smartphone manufacturer RIM.
The operator is talking to device manufacturers and content developers to enable more virtual purchases to be applied directly to customers’ monthly bills, Jose Antonio Moujadami, Telefonica’s commercial roll-out manager for Europe and Spain, said yesterday on the sidelines of the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.
The move appears to be following a trend of efforts from operators across the world to ensure they do not become so-called ‘dumb pipes’ as content developers continue to drive consumer traffic on their networks.
Moujadami declined to comment on specific potential partners, but said the operator was especially targeting gaming and social networking.
The agreement with RIM, which was announced on 14 February, enables customers to pay for Blackberry apps on their monthly Telefonica bills.
