Mobile payments provider Bango and telco Etisalat Group are partnering to deploy direct operator billing across Etisalat Group’s markets in Asia, the Middle East and Africa, according to an announcement. Etisalat said in the announcement it will be the first operator to offer DOB for Google Play users in the Middle East, where subscribers can now use one-click payment powered by Bango, paying on their phone bill, without the need to register personal details.

The established partnership between Bango and Etisalat has already seen DOB launched for users of BlackBerry World. This new agreement will deliver further app store integrations, beginning today with Google Play. Etisalat operates in 15 countries across Asia, the Middle East and Africa, and is one of the largest corporations in the six Arab countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council.

“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," Bango CEO Ray Anderson said in the announcement. "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.”

The agreement between Bango and Etisalat will accelerate the deployment of charge-to-bill payment, the companies said, connecting tens of millions of Etisalat subscribers to DOB, while providing a massive boost to digital content sales across the region. Having already launched DOB for BlackBerry World, and now Google Play, Etisalat and Bango expect to be able to announce further DOB app store integrations in the near term.

"Etisalat is keen on introducing services that improve our customers' smartphone experience," Khaled ElKhouly, chief marketing officer at Etisalat UAE, said in the announcement. "We are very happy to be the first in the region to offer millions of our Android smartphone customers the facility to pay for apps purchased on Google Play through their mobile phone accounts. It's our effort to make access and payment for millions of apps, games and other content much easier and more secure for users."