Italian mobile operator 3 Italia announced Monday it is now offering its 10 million subscribers the opportunity to pay for purchases in Google Play as well as Windows Phone Store with direct carrier billing thanks to a partnership with net mobile AG, according to a press release.

"With three out of four devices currently on sale by 3 Italia being either Android or Windows Phone-based smartphones, both direct carrier billing app store integrations facilitate digital content purchases for the large majority of 3 Italia customers," said Sebastian Böhm, senior vice president and executive director responsible for payment solutions at net mobile AG. 

Net mobile AG noted recent studies that document the strong interest in mobile app stores, especially in Italy stating that one out of three Italian mobile surfers have already purchased an app on their smartphone and that one in two would rather use carrier billing as a mobile payment system instead of a credit card.