Direct carrier biller Bango PLC is back in the news. This time, the company is offering mobile payment integration with Google Play, which allows consumers to purchase digital content through the Google Play application store by putting the purchase on their monthly phone bill.

The first mobile network operator to connect its billing system to Google Play through Bango will be Australian provider Telstra.

"Aussies love their mobile apps," said Telstra director of consumer applications and services Freddie Jansen Van Nieuwenhuizen.

"Telstra research shows that on average we download 36 apps each year and one in five of those are paid for," Jansen Van Nieuwenhuizen said. "With more than 700,000 games, apps, books, movies and magazines now available on Google Play, including a wide selection of paid titles, many of our customers have told us they would like a simpler way to buy."

As a direct carrier biller, Bango connects the billing platforms of MNOs worldwide to a number of app stores and social networks such as Facebook, Blackberry App World and the Opera Mobile Store. That means Telstra is likely to be only the first carrier to provide a carrier billing option for Google Play to its subscribers.

Bango also provides a single-click service that identifies mobile users' devices, eliminating the need for carriers to send a text message to consumers to verify a digital purchase. Telstra subscribers on Google Play will now have access to that service, meaning that they can enjoy single-click payments directly to their carrier bill once they've made their first purchase.

"Android is winning the battle for smartphone market share," said Bango CEO Ray Anderson. "As user numbers soar, we will see an increasing flow of developer talent and compelling content channeled through Google Play."

"We're expecting that operator billing from Bango will boost conversion rates and developer monetization," Anderson said. "It's a new weapon in Google's armory."

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