Fortumo and the mobile operator group Orange have announced a direct carrier billing partnership that covers 29 markets in which Orange operates, according to a press release.

Poland is the first country that will see the benefits of the new deal as more than 16 million Orange Polska subscribers will be able to make online payments by charging purchases to their mobile phone bill. 

"Fortumo's platform enables carriers to launch payments across a wide variety of streaming services, app stores, games and social networks, taking away merchant onboarding and integration hassles from the carrier. Orange is one of the leading telecom groups in Europe, the Middle-East and Africa, and Fortumo is glad to enable digital payments for millions of Orange users," said Gerri Kodres, chief business officer at Fortumo.

Fortumo did not reveal which other markets the deal affects.