Digital wallet company CardMobili has entered into a strategic agreement with Bango, which provides billing services to mobile operators and app stores. The agreement will see the two companies working together to develop a series of mCommerce propositions for mobile operators.

Cardmobili currently works with a handful of mobile operators to deliver app-based loyalty programs. For example, Portugal Telecom’s MEO Cardmobili app brings together a number of loyalty schemes from different retail partners, adding up to round 280 merchant outlets in total. The operator pushes out discount coupons to its customers via the app, which can also be used to check points balances.

Adding Bango to the mix means that an operator could launch a similar app, but in addition to loyalty, it would also incorporate payment, with the cost of the item or service bought added to the customer’s mobile phone bill. It would be up to the mobile operator to recruit the retail partners, but it could then send offers relating to those partners to its customers via the app. The customer would then accept and pay for the offer – “Two main courses for £10” for example – via the Bango billing platform, with the money added to their mobile bill. The idea is to enable mobile operators to leverage their subscriber base and existing billing relationship to open up a new revenue stream.

“Bango’s expertise in managing mass-scale payments for its predominantly App Store client list, together with its frictionless payment experience, synchronises perfectly with CardMobili’s advanced mCommerce technology platform and long-standing retail sector expertise,” said Cardmobili CEO, Helena Leite. “By combining our individual strengths, we are looking to build a mutually beneficial business ecosystem that gives merchants important new customer acquisition and targeting tools, combined with carefully customised loyalty-based services for consumers.”

Bango CEO Ray Anderson said he is confident that the partnership will enable the two companies to establish carrier billing in the retail space for the first time. “Mobile operators will be able to generate revenue from a brand new channel, providing value-added services to consumers who can pay with one click,” he said. “This is combined with a dynamic new proposition for brands and merchants, giving them access to the operator’s customer base within a controlled environment from a trusted partner.”