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Telefonica seeks more integrated carrier billing
Spanish mobile operator Telefonica is in active discussions to secure further integrated carrier billing alliances after partnering with US smartphone manufacturer RIM, TelecomFinance has learned.
The operator is talking to device manufacturers and…
Spanish mobile operator Telefonica is in active discussions to secure further integrated carrier billing alliances after partnering with US smartphone manufacturer RIM, TelecomFinance has learned.
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.
Through enabling carrier billing, Telefonica is providing additional flexibility to both end users and content players, Moujadami said 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 partners Telefonica is negotiating with, but said the operator was interested in introducing more integrated carrier billing to service content including gaming and social networking.
The agreement with RIM, which was announced on 14 February, enables the purchases Telefonica’s customers make on the manufacturer’s Blackberry app store to be billed to their monthly operator accounts.
