Bango has launched operator-billed payments for Google Play users with 9mobile, Nigeria's fourth largest network operator.
Through the 9mobile 9pay wallet, customers in Nigeria can pay for the wealth of media, games, apps and digital content in Google Play, with one-click, without the need to own a credit card or bank account.
Nigeria is one of the most mobile-centric countries in the world. The scale is enormous, with around 150 million subscribers, a penetration rate of over 80% (GSMA Intelligence, 2017), and more mobile internet users than any other African country (Business Insider, 2016).
76% of all online traffic in Nigeria is from mobile devices (Africa Business Communities, 2016). Smartphone adoption is growing, particularly Android which accounted for over 60% of the mobile Operating System (OS) market share in Nigeria in 2016 (StatCounter).
With the Google Play store pre-installed on all Android devices, millions of Nigerian consumers are now able to participate in the m-commerce experience.
Wallets are typically distributed by mobile operators in Africa and offer consumers a means for making important financial transactions, including sending and receiving money, paying utility bills, school fees, wages, topping up air-time and much more.
Adia Sowho, Director of Digital Business, 9Mobile
We are delighted to have added the ability to place the charge for content and services from Google Play to the 9pay wallet in Nigeria, in partnership with Bango. This launch is a significant addition to the value of 9pay wallet for our customers.
Ray Anderson, CEo, Bango
Direct Carrier Billing and stored value systems such as 9mobile 9pay wallet provide a safe, simple mechanism for increasing access for millions to digital content and services.
