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12 December 2014

Telkom, Samsung and Bango introduce Direct Operator Billing for Samsung customers in South Africa

In a South African first, customers can now securely and conveniently purchase apps and content from the Samsung GALAXY Apps store using their Samsung devices and charge it directly to their Telkom mobile bill or airtime.
 
Telkom and Samsung today announced Direct Operator Billing, an integrated carrier billing service for Samsung smartphone and tablet customers in South Africa.
 
The service is made possible through Telkom’s Event Billing service and will enable Telkom customers to purchase applications and content from Samsung’s GALAXY Apps store and charge it directly to their mobile phone bill or airtime, using their Samsung devices. Customers can also make in-app purchases, such as additional content or new levels for a gaming app, without interruption to the app experience. This “frictionless” payment experience is emerging as the preferred model for payment in app stores, enabling more consumers to access paid content, without the need for credit/debit cards or to register personal details.
 
To make secure purchases and payments, customers should follow the below process:
  • Have a Telkom mobile SIM card in a Samsung device;
  • Ensure you have upgraded your software to Android 4.4 (Click here for instructions on how to upgrade);
  • Sign up for a Samsung account;
  • Once you have done this, you will be able to open the GALAXY Apps store on your device, choose an item to buy, and select Telkom Phone Bill as a payment method.
 
A double opt-in process is included so that customers are aware that they are purchasing an app or a game and are not surprised when their account is billed for the purchase. Details of each transaction will be itemised on customers’ invoices. Customers can also call Telkom customer care to further validate purchases.
 
“We are thrilled to be the first to introduce Direct Operator Billing for Samsung in South Africa,” said Enzo Scarcella, Chief Marketing Officer at Telkom. “Telkom and Samsung customers are now able to buy apps and content with their airtime or by adding purchases to their account, giving them a richer and more enjoyable experience.”
 
Justin Hume, Director of Product Marketing, Integrated Mobility at Samsung Electronics South Africa, said: “Samsung is excited about this partnership as it further strengthens our commitment to deliver innovative solutions that accompany our mobile services. We continue to enhance how our consumers experience and engage with our services and the direct operator billing on GALAXY Apps will provide a hassle-free and simple buying experience.”
 
Telkom and Samsung have partnered with mobile payment leader Bango in order to launch the service. Bango CEO Ray Anderson said: “One-click Direct Operator Billing is setting the standard for app store payment. Telkom’s consumers will now find it easier than ever to access the paid content that brings our smartphones to life.”

For further enquiries, please contact:

Pynee Chetty

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Email: chettpr2@telkom.co.za

OR

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Email: francilm@telkom.co.za

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ABOUT TELKOM:

Telkom is a leading communications services provider in South Africa. We had consolidated operating revenue of R16.8 billion and normalised profit after tax of R1, 683 million for the period ended 30 September 2015. Total assets amounted to R41.9 billion and equity attributable to the owners of Telkom to R23.5 billion as of 30 September 2015. The group generated normalised free cash flow of R1.4 billion for the period ended 30 September 2015.

As of 30 September 2015, we had approximately 3.3 million telephone access lines in service and 1,030,441 ports connected via MSAN access. We offer business, residential and payphone customers a wide range of services and products, including:

  • fixed-line retail voice services using PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) lines, including ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) lines, and the sale of subscription based value-added voice services and calling plans;
  • fixed-line customer premises equipment rental and sales services both voice and data needs and these include PABX, Computers, Routers, Modems, Telephone handsets and other ancillary equipment;
  • interconnection services, including terminating and transiting traffic from South African mobile operators, as well as from international operators and transiting traffic from mobile to international destinations;
  • fixed-line data services, including domestic and international data transmission services, such as point-to-point leased lines, ADSL (Asymmetrical Digital Subscriber Line) services, packet-based services, managed data networking services and internet access and related information technology services;
  • Data Centre Operations includes e-commerce, application service provider, hosting, data storage, e-mail and security services;
  • W-CDMA (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access), a 3G next generation network, including fixed voice services, data services and nomadic voice services;
  • mobile communication services, including voice services, data services and handset sales through our mobile navbar-brand called Telkom Mobile;
  •  information and communication services including cloud services, infrastructure services, workspace services, global service integration management and hardware and network equipment sales locally, in seven African countries, the UK and Dubai through Business Connexion Group; and
  • other services including directory services, through Trudon (Pty) Ltd, wireless data services, through Swiftnet (Pty) Ltd.

Convergence is one of our key strategic initiatives in building a sustainable future for Telkom.  We will lead the provision of converged services in South Africa in support of our mission statement: Seamlessly connecting people to a better life.