Boku, a direct carrier billing-based mobile payments company, has announced a new partnership to bring direct carrier billing to Google Play for Zain subscribers in Saudi Arabia, according to a press release.

As a result of the partnership, Zain subscribers can use one-tap mobile payments to purchase games and apps in the Google Play store, according to the announcement. The charges are completed using only the subscriber's phone number and appear on the subscriber’s mobile phone bill or are deducted from the subscriber’s prepaid balance, with no additional personal information or credit card required. Boku said in the announcement that this benefit is particularly important in Saudi Arabia, where only 17 percent of consumers have a credit card and only 46 percent have any kind of bank account, according to the World Bank. 

"By connecting with Boku, Zain KSA brings tremendous value to their subscribers who want a trusted and seamless way to purchase their favorite Google Play content," Boku CEO Jon Prideaux said in a statement. "Given our leading market position, Boku is well positioned to extend this partnership to other carriers across the globe. The opportunities for carriers are truly limitless when a company with Boku's global footprint integrates with one of the world’s most popular app stores."

MT2 is the largest technical billing platform in the Middle East, according to the announcement. They power the billing infrastructure for Zain KSA, one of the leading carriers in the Middle East and Africa, providing a comprehensive range of mobile voice and data services to over 46 million active individual and business customers.

"Innovation is a vital part of the transformation plan we are currently implementing, striving to offer our customers the best possible customer experience," Hassan Kabbani, Zain KSA CEO, said in a statement "With Boku's experience in carrier billing, our goal is to provide our subscribers with a frictionless checkout experience to make digital content purchases through Google Play."