Vodafone Offers Carrier Billing for the Android Market

Vodafone is now the first wireless carrier on the European continent to offer carrier billing options for the Android Market.

At the mobile, Vodafone UK and Vodafone Germany are offering their customers the possibility to have purchase applications and games from the Android Market without the need to enter their credit card details.

All purchases will be billed straight to the users' Vodafone accounts. With the new move, users will be able to change their purchases to the phone bill or their prepay accounts.

“Vodafone developer today announces the first rollout in Europe of direct operator billing for Android Market,” the wireless carrier explains in a blog post.

“Vodafone UK and Vodafone Germany will help consumers purchase their favorite apps and games on Android Market even more easily without the need to enter credit card details.”

In the beginning, the new service is expected to become available for the carrier's users who have purchased their phones through Vodafone online and retail channels.

According to Vodafone, the move should translate into increased potential for application purchases for all developers.

“This evolution in Android app payment greatly improves the user’s purchase experience & consequently their likelihood of completing a sale,” the said blog post continues.

The availability of Vodafone operator billing for the Android Market offers users a better experience, and is also expected to result in an increased number of purchases from the storefront.

Many customers who would like to purchase applications but who are unwilling to use credit cards would be able to buy applications and have them billed to their Vodafone accounts.

The wireless carrier notes that these users account for about 90 percent of the market in some countries.

As stated above, Vodafone is the first wireless carrier in Europe to offer carrier billing for Google's mobile applications portal, though chances are that others will follow suit in the near future.