Fortumo has expanded its carrier billing services to three new African markets, according to a press release.

More than 79 million mobile phone owners in Algeria, Ghana and Tanzania now have the ability to make payments for digital services.

"Africa's digital ecosystem is quickly growing and we are seeing strong interest from international merchants who want to expand their activities there," Gerri Kodres, chief business officer at Fortumo, said in a statement. "While each day a large amount of new smartphone owners are coming online, collecting payments from these users has so far been a challenge. Our expansion in Africa gives locals better access to digital mobile services such as games, music and video while helping merchants generate additional revenue from the region."

Fortumo noted in the announcement that the three new markets have low credit card penetration, with Algeria at 6 percent; Ghana at 0.9 percent; and Tanzania at 0.7 percent. The company did not disclose which mobile operators it is working with in those nations.