DirectBilling
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Skype begins direct carrier billing in Russia, US and Canada to follow
As data bundles become more prevalent, it's natural to see Skype as a thorn in the side of mobile operators' voice offerings. A new direct billing deal with carriers announced today, however, could prove that the two can play nice. While it's not a full embrace, it effectively means that operators could sell you Skype credit directly, and not be cut out of the loop completely. There are no details on what arrangements between operators and Skype will look like, but from the user's perspective, it's another welcome payment option. The service has been on the cards for some time now, with some operators expressing an interest for even longer. Skype tells us that the service is live today with an unnamed Russian operator, with promise of it coming to the US and Canada soon. As GigaOM points out, Mach -- who the VoIP provider is partnering with -- lists T-Mobile, Telus and Verizon Wireless among its client list. So, while nothing is confirmed, there's a heads-up over which operators might get the facility first.
Google Play adds carrier billing for music, movies and books
Don't feel like having media purchased through Google Play billed directly to your credit card? Well, now you can have those charges simply added to your monthly phone bill, provided you're on T-Mobile here in the US, or NTT Docomo, KDDI, or Softbank in Japan. According to Google's posting about the move, Sprint will soon be offering the option to pay for movies, books and movies purchased through Big G's market along side your voice and data plan. For T-Mobile subscribers that means both apps and content can simply be added to your tab, while AT&T is sticking with carrier billing for apps only at the moment. Conspicuously absent from the whole shebang, however, is Verizon, which has been one of the more prominent Android pushers here in the US. For a complete list of carriers with at least some direct billing features check out the more coverage link.
Google adds AT&T billing to Android Market payment options
Having rolled out to T-Mobile just about a year ago, Google's celebrating the anniversary of its Android Market carrier billing feature in the US by expanding the service to AT&T. Put simply, this means that if you're using an Android device on an AT&T line, you'll no longer need to use a credit card -- you can just bill your purchases straight to your AT&T bill, which is painless... almost too painless, really, if you're the compulsive type. And no, we're not aware of a way to bill a Froyo update for your Captivate to your account -- but believe us, we'll keep on looking.
