RIM’s carrier billing partnerships are an excellent way for consumers to purchase apps without having to use PayPal or a credit card. It’s also great for developers as it provides a convenient way to monetize their applications and provide users with the app where they may not otherwise be able to afford it. Eric at Ebscer recently shared some data around carrier billing and it looks like it’s fast becoming an essential service.
According to Eric, “carrier billing has increased for the 14th straight month. September saw the use of carrier billing increase to 41.3% of all sales. September also saw a significant number of app sales on the PlayBook which does not support carrier billing, so if you were to look at just smartphone app sales the percentage would be even higher.”
The data comes from his Ebscer vendor account where he sells some very popular apps and games.
You can read Ebscer’s blog and the original post at this link.
Currently, App World has carrier billing relationships with the following carriers and countries:
USA T-Mobile
AUT A1 Telecom
GBR Vodafone
GBR Vodafone GIG
CAN Rogers Canada
CAN Telus Canada
For carrier billing to really take off, RIM is going to have to launch carrier billing in more regions, especially those where credit cards aren’t popular. The first order of business should be getting carrier billing in Indonesia. Speaking of Indonesia, check out this video of BlackBerry culture in Indonesia courtesy of CB:
