Axiata Group has partnered with Fortumo for direct carrier billing, with Indonesia (XL Axiata) and Malaysia (Celcom) the first markets to launch the service.
Between them, Axiata’s Indonesian and Malaysian units have 43 million mobile subscribers. The direct carrier billing partnership covers 8 countries (Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Bangladesh, India, Singapore and Pakistan).
In Indonesia, the first market launched through the partnership, only 5 million people have a credit card while there are already more than 65 million smartphone owners. App stores and digital content merchants who implement direct carrier billing are thus able to reach 10 times more paying users in the country than with bank-based payment methods.
“Axiata and Fortumo have a strong overlap of strategic interests in Asia. Fortumo’s platform is used by leading merchants in digital entertainment who are looking to expand their payment coverage in Asia. At the same time, Axiata operates in some of the fastest growing mobile markets where most users are unable to make payments by using traditional payment methods. We are very excited to be working together with one of the leading mobile operator groups in the region to connect digital merchants with their audience,” said Gerri Kodres, Chief Business Officer at Fortumo.
As part of the agreement, Fortumo will integrate Axiata Group’s direct carrier billing API into its billing infrastructure which will in turn enable merchants to seamlessly launch payments in all markets where Axiata operates. This approach allows Axiata to quickly onboard leading digital content merchants while Fortumo takes care of the merchant on-boarding, support and business operations activities.
