Apple extends carrier billing to Switzerland, Taiwan, Japan

Apple expanded the availability of carrier billing functionality for iOS apps and services into three additional countries, bringing the total number of countries where the service is available to five.

 

The U.S. vendor this week added Swiss operator Swisscom, Taiwan-based FarEasTone, and Japanese operator KDDI to the list of operators offering carrier billing options for purchases on Apple’s App Store, iTunes, Apple Music, iBooks, and Apple TV services, CNET reported.

 

The news site noted that the deal with KDDI has not yet been officially announced.

 

Apple first launched its carrier billing option with Telefonica Deutschland and VimpelCom’s Russian brand Beeline in 2015, the news agency stated.

 

In a statement announcing the launch of the service, Swisscom said it was the first operator in Switzerland to offer access to Apple’s carrier billing function. The operator said the service simplifies the process of paying for digital goods by incorporating the fees into subscribers’ monthly bills, which removes the need for users to pay for Apple content via vouchers or digital codes.

 

The operator explained that Apple’s carrier billing will work across all of a subscriber’s Apple devices, following an initial set up process.

 

While Apple is seeking to grow its network of carrier billing operators, CNET noted that the company remains far behind its rival Google in terms of setting up such deals. The news agency said Google has agreed carrier billing for mobile customers in 45 countries that cover purchases from its Google Play app store from Android devices.

 

Juniper Research recently forecast that the value of digital content transactions paid for through carrier billing options would hit $47 billion (€41.7 billion) by 2020, some four times higher than in 2015.

 

In its Digital Content Business Models: OTT and Operator Strategies 2016-2021 report, Juniper Research noted that extending the availability of carrier billing is an essential step for Apple if the company is to break into the market of unbanked consumers using refurbished devices in emerging markets.