Samsung Ties-Up With Vodafone, Aircel for Operator Billing on Its Apps Store

Samsung has now joined hands with two telecom operators in the country - Vodafone and Aircel - to introduce operator billing for its Samsung Apps store.

The operator billing feature for the Samsung Apps store, which comes pre-loaded in Samsung handsets, lets users download premium smartphone or tablet applications without the using online payment methods, which most Indian users are wary of utilising. It will also help those users who do not have credit cards. Users will via operator billing be able to purchase paid apps and be charged on their prepaid balance or postpaid bills.

The Korean tech giant announced it will soon team-up with other leading telecom operators in the country to offer operator billing. Samsung also declared that it is now the first OEM in India to serve an integrated payment module for a global Android app store. The operator billing process is said to have already commenced on May 1.

Speaking about the tie-up, Tarun Malik, Director of Media Solutions Center-South West Asia, Samsung Electronics,

said, "We are excited to partner with India's major telecom operators for this unique integration. This exclusive tie-up on Samsung App store further showcases our commitment to providing the best service experience to our customers. Given the poor credit card penetration in the country, we are positive that this move will be welcomed by customers. It is another step forward to expand our engagement with the publisher and developer community by enhancing adoption as well as monetization from the store."

Vivek Mathur, Chief Operating Officer, Vodafone India, added, "With the growth of smartphones and mobile internet, people are increasingly showing more interest in mobile apps and content services. This partnership will provide Vodafone customers ready access to the Samsung App Store with the convenience of operator billing. The limited penetration of credit cards makes this service a huge convenience for customers who can now use their Vodafone account to purchase apps and content."

Anupam Vasudev, Chief Marketing Officer, Aircel, stated, "With a low penetration of mobile application purchase through credit cards, there is need for telecom operators to play a significant role in order to improve customers' mobile usage experience. Aircel is delighted to partner with Samsung, with an objective to offer its customers the convenience and flexibility to buy paid applications through the operator billing system. Through this service, Aircel customers will easily be able to download any application without worrying about the mode of payment."

Right now it is hard to say how successful the new venture will prove to be. It may help somewhat improve Samsung's sliding bottom-lines, which was seen last month in it's quarterly earnings.