Fortumo and Apigate, a subsidiary of Axiata Digital, have partnered to launch content services in Cambodia via Smart Axiata's direct carrier billing API, according to a press release. This collaboration will enable Smart subscribers to purchase digital content and games in app stores and charge the transaction to their mobile phone bill.
 
Almost half of Cambodians own a smartphone, while credit card ownership in the country is below 3 percent. Hence, a majority of users can access free online content, but don't have the ability to pay for premium services. The direct carrier billing API helps digital merchants overcome this obstacle by allowing any prepaid or postpaid mobile user to make payments through their telco. 
 
Through this collaboration, Fortumo is only required to integrate once with Apigate to deploy premium content by digital content providers at a faster rate and reduced costs to more than 8 million Smart subscribers. Apigate provides Fortumo with immediate access to the Cambodian API marketplace.
 
"This collaboration adds value to Apigate by tapping into the underserved segment in Cambodia which consists largely of the prepaid segment without credit card ownership," Axiata CEO Mohd Khairil Abdullah said in the press release.
 
"Digital merchants are increasingly relying on telco channels for user acquisition, payments and loyalty," said Sid Sahi, Fortumo vice president of carrier sales and business development in Southeast Asia. "Fortumo is able to give them access to these channels at scale by enabling global expansion through one integration."