Microsoft partners with Idea Cellular to introduce operator billing services for Windows phones

To simplify mobile phone applications purchase, Microsoft and Idea Cellular have joined hands to introduce operator billing on the Windows Store for Idea subscribers, said Nikhil Mathur, director, B2B and operator channels, Nokia India. Nokia India is a subsidiary of Microsoft Mobile Oy. “With smartphones becoming more affordable, adoption of mobile internet is witnessing an unprecedented growth and we are confident that this partnership will further accelerate growth for the app ecosystem with mobile internet users making a shift towards consuming premium apps and content on their devices,” Mathur said. He mentioned that the company in future will also tie up with other telecom service providers. This partnership will enable Idea subscribers to download or procure local and global paid contents on the Windows Store. Windows Store currently offers over 550,000 plus apps. Carrier billing increases the sales of apps multiple times. “This development eases a consumer’s access to premium apps on Windows Store through a convenient purchase process,” Sashi Shankar, chief marketing officer, Idea Cellular, said. Idea has 34 million data users. Microsoft offers 81 mobile operator billing connections in 46 markets with carriers representing 2.5 billion total subscribers. Operator billing helps developers increase revenues and Microsoft has witnessed an increase of eight times per month for total paid transactions in emerging markets and three times in developed markets. “Microsoft is constantly working on expanding monetisation options for developers on our platforms and this partnership is another step in that direction,” Harish Vaidyanathan, director - Evangelism at Microsoft Corporation India said. “Unlike other parts of the world, credit card penetration in India is very low and this in turn impedes the consumer purchase experience and limits app monetisation. With the introduction of operator billing, we have seen significant increase in consumer commerce across developed and emerging markets,” he added. IANS