Strategic Partnership with Etisalat Group

RNS Number : 8809I

Bango PLC

05 June 2014

 



05 June 2014

Embargoed until 07:00

BANGO PLC   

("Bango")

Strategic Partnership with Etisalat Group

 

Group-wide deal to deliver operator billing for app store ecosystems - Google Play and BlackBerry now live

Bango (AIM: BGO), the mobile payments company, and telecoms giant Etisalat Group have entered into a partnership to enable Direct Operator Billing across Etisalat's markets in Asia, the Middle East and Africa. The established partnership between Bango and Etisalat has already seen Direct Operator Billing launched for users of BlackBerry World in 2013. This new agreement will deliver further app store integrations, the first of which is for Google Play, which is now live. Etisalat and Bango expect to be able to announce further Direct Operator Billing app store integrations in the coming period.

Etisalat is the first operator to offer Direct Operator Billing for Google Play users in the Middle East, where subscribers can now enjoy frictionless one-click payment powered by Bango, paying on their phone bill. The agreement between Bango and Etisalat will accelerate the availability of charge to bill payment, connecting tens of millions of Etisalat subscribers to operator billing, while providing a massive boost to digital content sales across the region.

The Middle East is seeing substantial smartphone growth, with device numbers expected to almost double this year, from 67 million in 2013 to 112.2 million in 2014 (IDC). New smartphone consumers in the region are young; 44% of the population is under 20 years old and hungry for apps, music, games and other digital content. With app stores racing to embrace the technology, Direct Operator Billing is emerging as a vital mobile commerce enabler, using the mass reach of phone and phone bill to democratize access to digital content. While card ownership is widespread in the Middle East region, users are reluctant to pay online with cards, but operator-billed payments - without the need to register personal details - are popular.

Etisalat has selected the Bango Payment Platform following a thorough competitive evaluation. Bango's ability to deploy operator billing for the key app store ecosystems is built on Bango's high performance, intelligent payments infrastructure that can offer operator billing even when the user is connected over Wi-Fi. Bango has emerged as the de facto global leader in Direct Operator Billing, powering many of the world's largest app stores, including Amazon, BlackBerry World, Facebook, Firefox Marketplace, Google Play, Windows Phone Store and with more than 130 direct operator connections.

Ray Anderson, Bango CEO commented, "This commitment from one of the world's highest rated mobile operator groups is a key indication of the importance of Direct Operator Billing to unlocking digital content sales. From today, millions of Google Play users can pay for their music, books, movies, games and apps with one-click. We are now working with the Etisalat team to connect the wider range of app stores through the Bango platform and will update on our progress in due course."

For further information please contact:

Bango PLC	Newgate Threadneedle	Cenkos Securities plc
Tel. [phone]	Tel. [phone]	Tel. [phone]
Ray Anderson, CEO	Fiona Conroy	Beth McKiernan
Gerry Tucker, CFO	Caroline Forde	Neil McDonald
	Jasper Randall

About Bango

In the era of mobile technology, collecting payments has emerged as a central and complex challenge. Bango (AIM: BGO) powers payment and analytics on the mobile web, providing users with a massively smooth payment experience.

Bango's pervasive presence across the web creates a platform effect for partners, identifying hundreds of millions of users and maximizing the number of one-click payments. Global leaders plugging into Bango include Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN), BlackBerry World (NASDAQ: BBRY), Facebook (NASDAQ: FB), Firefox Marketplace, Google Play, Windows Phone Store (NASDAQ: MSFT) and other major mobile brands. Visit: bango.com

About Etisalat Group

Etisalat is the Middle East's leading telecommunications operator and one of the largest corporations in the six Arab countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council, with a market value of approximately AED 90 billion (US$24.5 billion) and annual revenues of over AED 39 billion (US$ 10.6 billion).  Etisalat now has operations in 19 countries in the Middle East, Africa and Asia. It is one of the global telecommunication industry's innovation pacesetters.

 

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