DOCOMO Digital, the European-based operation unit of NTT DOCOMO, has partnered with Swiss mobile operator Swisscom to enable physical goods to be purchased online and paid for directly onto a customer's phone bill.

MediaShop Group, a TV and online merchant based in Austria, is the first retailer to use DOCOMO Digital direct billing product. Retailers can use an API integration to offer this payment method to their customers, according to the announcement.

"Until now, direct carrier billing hasn't really produced an effective way to purchase physical goods on mobile, so we are excited to partner with Swisscom to introduce this innovation," Fernando González Mesones, COO of DOCOMO Digital Financial Services, said in a statement. "At DOCOMO Digital, we aim to drive the evolution of mobile commerce, so working with Swisscom to provide consumers and merchants in Switzerland with a new faster, secure and innovative payment method, is a big step forward for mobile commerce in Europe. We expect this proof of concept to drive alignment in other markets for similar solutions that benefit end users, merchants and mobile operators."