UK Wireless Internet Service Provider Hybyte has launched AirPayment, a WAP billing solution that supports PayForIt, the consumer facing brand of the UK's cross operator Trusted Mobile Payment Framework scheme.

Hybyte's main goal is to provide greater charging transparency for consumers as well as to encourage mobile commerce. The payment solution encompasses a WAP charging and subscription module, a WAP User Interface and a mechanism to fall back to SMS charging if required. There are clear advantages to using a WAP driven DTB payment solution to replace the traditional in-house payment mechanisms used so far.

Apart from reducing the IT and development investment, it also eradicates the revenue leakage, somewhere between 15 and 20% of their content revenues, caused by PSMS. According to a recent study by Nokia, 36% of mobile phone owners regularly used their device for Internet browsing. By using AirPayment, consumers will be able to use their mobile phones for purchasing products, by simply clicking on a 'Pay' button on a WAP enabled website.

Hybyte will be the first in the U.K. to offer a billing solution that has been developed under the guidelines of the Trusted Mobile Payment Framework, which focuses on how transactions are processed. For each transaction, the consumer is requested to agree to the terms of any proposed payment or subscription service in advance to being charged and will have to re-authorize the subscription services every month. According to Hybyte, they have already gained accreditation from Orange and Vodafone for the use of the billing solution.

Darren Cottom, Press officer at Hybyte, said: "It is fair to say that early experimental WAP applications were disappointing. However, faster wireless networks and improvements in handset design have combined to create a new urgency in the market and we are now seeing more business models emerging for mobile applications. Transparency during the purchasing process will be critical to the success of WAP-enabled websites. Consumers want to be able to check what they've bought and how much it cost. As is the case when a consumer purchases off the Internet, ease-of-use, security and trust can be the differentiating features of a successful online business. If mobile commerce is to be successful, it will need to embrace each one of these attributes."