Mobile Firm Bango Teams With Facebook
U.K.-based mobile payments firm Bango said Wednesday it had struck a deal to provide “payment services” to Facebook. The terse quality of the announcement was
similar to one the company made when disclosing a partnership
with Amazon in December. The release stated “it is too early in the relationship to accurately forecast the level of business which it may generate.”
The agreement suggests Bango could provide wireless billing services to Facebook as the social networking giant seeks to monetize its mobile platform prior to its IPO. While boasting 425 million monthly active mobile users, Facebook conceded in its IPO filing that it hasn’t generated meaningful revenue from this side of its business to date.
In addition to Amazon, Bango has worked with clients such as EA Mobile, Opera, BlackBerry App World and Fox Mobile Group o provide payments systems for phone bills and credit cards, as well as back-end analytics. Facebook may plan to use Bango to handle payments for apps, virtual goods or other mobile transactions.
Facebook has launched an iPad app and opened up its mobile platform for the first time to third-party developers. According to Inside Facebook, the company currently uses Boku to process mobile phone payments for HTML5 games like CityVille. “This is only possible in the mobile Web version of Facebook, not native applications, because Apple and Android take 30% of in-app transactions on their platforms,” it stated in a post today.
Carrier-based billing could provide an alternative to in-app purchases through the App Store or Android Market. Bango says its technology is optimized for Web-based apps.
According to reports, Facebook plans to unveil a mobile advertising platform next month. About 85% of its $3.7 billion in revenue came from advertising, and the balance from its payments business. But the latter could get a further boost from the Bango partnership.
Recent Online Media Daily Articles
-
Consumer Action: Most Web Users Want Control Over Tracking June 18, 8:20 p.m.
Most Web users have expectations about privacy that appear to be at odds with current practices ... -
Affiliate Channels Attract Global Buying, Tailored Marketing Programs June 18, 5:54 p.m.
The Internet continues to make the world smaller for affiliate marketers, but there are physical challenges ... -
Microsoft Rolls Out Ad Pano, Mobile Ad Format June 18, 3:03 p.m.
With the help of the broader ad industry, Microsoft this week is rolling out a mobile ... -
Kiip Debuts Self-Serve Option For Advertisers June 18, 2:23 p.m.
Mobile rewards network Kiip has added a self-serve option for advertisers aimed at attracting more small- and medium-sized ... -
Mindshare Taps Elkins As Managing Director, Digital, West Coast June 18, 1:51 p.m.
Mindshare, part of WPP's GroupM, has tapped digital marketing veteran Amy Elkins to be managing director, ... -
Blogging Stake: WPP Invests In Muzy June 18, 9:12 a.m.
WPP has taken a stake in Muzy Inc., an early-stage micro-blogging service focused on mobile content ... -
MSN, Newsy Partnership To Debut June 18, 7:40 a.m.
MSN on Tuesday is expected to announce a partnership with mobile-focused video news network Newsy. Similar to ... -
ZO Shaves Global Ad Outlook: Says Internet, Especially Mobile, Will Be Greatest Growth Engines June 18, 7:34 a.m.
The global ad economy now is expected to expand only 3.5% this year, according to the ... -
Google Enhanced Campaigns Increase Cost Per Click June 18, 12:05 a.m.
Search advertisers will need to learn how to compensate for rising costs per click as Google ... -
Publicis Groupe's VivaKi Influences Mass Relevance Social Road Map June 17, 9 p.m.
VivaKi Ventures has gained input into Mass Relevance's product road map to influence features and functions ...
Be the first to comment on "Mobile Firm Bango Teams With Facebook"
Leave a Comment