Cambridge, U.K.-based Bango, a provider of direct operator billing technology, has opened an office in Singapore to act as its regional operating hub. Bango said the new office will support its activities across Asia Pacific.

Bango integrates with mobile network operators, allowing then to offer direct operator billing for digital purchases from app stores and merchants.

Bango customers include Amazon, BlackBerry World, Facebook, Firefox Marketplace, Google Play, Windows Phone Store, CNN, Cartoon Network and EA Mobile.

In Asia, Bango provides direct operator billing capabilities in Hong Kong, Taiwan, India and Korea. The company expects to launch in Japan during 2014.

Mobile payments integrations launched by Bango in 2013 included SingTel in Singapore; DiGi in Malaysia; Indosat, Telkomsel and XL Axiata in Indonesia; Globe in the Philippines; and DTAC in Thailand.

Bango said it is seeing significant interest from operators in emerging Asian markets, including Myanmar, Vietnam, Cambodia and Bangladesh.

"The growth of low-priced smartphones in countries across Asia is connecting hundreds of millions to digital commerce for the first time and represents a huge opportunity for both digital merchants and mobile operators," Ray Anderson, Bango's CEO, said in a statement. "Asia will be a huge growth market for mobile commerce in the coming years."

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