Boku and BillToMobile Bringing Carrier Billing to Verizon Androids

Boku, mobile payments service that was once rumored to be in the running for Google acquisition, is teaming up with BillToMobile to bring mobile payments to Verizon’s line of Android smartphones via carrier billing. The new billing system will allow users to charge purchases from merchants such as Facebook directly to their monthly phone bill.

It works by customers entering their mobile number for a purchase. They receive a text confirming the purchase and the charge shows up in their next Verizon bill. Full press release below.

BilltoMobile and BOKU Sign Agreement to Provide Direct Mobile Billing for BOKU Merchants on Top US Carrier

BilltoMobile’sTM Payment Gateway to Provide Direct Mobile Billing (DMB) Access to Merchants and Customers on the BOKUTM Mobile Payments Platform

SAN JOSE, CA and SAN FRANCISCO, CA–(Marketwire – January 27, 2011) – Two of the leading mobile payment companies in the world have agreed to provide merchants and consumers with a seamless and secure mobile payment experience on one of the top US carrier networks, Verizon Wireless. San Jose-based BilltoMobile and San Francisco based BOKU will offer BOKU merchants and customers the industry leading features and security through the BilltoMobile Direct Mobile Billing (DMB) payment service which is directly connected into the Verizon Wireless billing system.

BOKU is a leader in mobile payments and will be processing payment transactions for their many high profile merchants — including Facebook — through the BilltoMobile payment service on Verizon. BOKU’s industry leading mobile payments platform is live in 65 countries worldwide, with direct billing connections to carriers around the world including AT&T in the US, Vodafone UK, Globe in the Philippines and many more. BOKU offers their merchants and more than 2 billion consumers the ability to transact across 230 carriers. BOKU is backed by VCs that include Andreesen Horowitz, Benchmark Capital, DAG Ventures, Index Ventures and Khosla Ventures.

BilltoMobile and its strategic investor, Danal Co., Ltd (Seoul, Korea) are also one of the global leaders in processing eCommerce mobile payments and have processed over $4 Billion in mobile billing transactions. Their service is leading the way globally for financial grade mobile payment standards that are revolutionizing the mobile billing space.

Jim Greenwell, BilltoMobile CEO, and Mark Britto, BOKU CEO, issued a joint statement: “BilltoMobile and BOKU’s cooperative agreement is a landmark in US mobile payments cooperation. The real winners today are the many wireless subscribers who are excited about access to convenient, secure online mobile payments and the merchants who provide these consumers with a wide array of digital goods, content and services.” Boku and BilltoMobile merchants benefit from attractive merchant fees that are significantly lower than traditional PSMS rates.

About BilltoMobile:

BilltoMobile is the premier provider of mobile payments for eCommerce purchases in the U.S., and the only mobile payments company that has integrated its payment gateway directly with both Verizon Wireless’ and AT&T’s billing platforms. With a growing list of carriers, direct merchants and resellers moving to adopt BilltoMobile’s “Carrier Billing 2.0” approach, the company is emerging as the North American leader in mobile payments processing for direct-to-carrier payments. In 2010 BilltoMobile began offering mobile payments on behalf of both of the top two U.S. carriers via its proprietary Direct Mobile Billing (DMB) service — a convenient, secure financial-grade payment service that dramatically improves upon long-standing mobile carrier and merchant issues. DMB offers merchants significantly lower fees coupled with improved authentication, chargeback/refund rates, back office tools and settlement support. BilltoMobile enables mobile payments for digital goods on both computer and mobile web browsers, and the service is currently available to more than 65% of all U.S. wireless subscribers via a fast growing list of prominent digital goods and services merchants. BilltoMobile is a privately-held U.S. company headquartered in San Jose, California. Its strategic investor and majority shareholder, Danal Co., Ltd (Seoul, South Korea), pioneered DMB technology, and has integrated DMB with 14 mobile carriers in Korea, Taiwan and China. Danal leads the e-commerce mobile payment segment globally, having processed an unmatched $4 billion in eCommerce mobile payments with its 10,000+ online merchant partners since the company launched with its first mobile carrier partner in Korea in 2000. For more information, please visit www.BilltoMobile.com.

About BOKU:

BOKU is creating the standard for online payments using your mobile phone, making it easy to pay for digital goods and social experiences across the web. With a strong focus on reliability and security, BOKU is bringing bank-grade payments technology and mobile users together on the web, creating a trusted, viable and accessible market for consumers, publishers and carriers alike. Based in San Francisco with offices in Europe and Asia, BOKU reaches more than 2 billion consumers worldwide, and is funded by leading Silicon Valley entrepreneurs and venture capitalists Andreessen Horowitz, Benchmark Capital, DAG Ventures, Index Ventures, and Khosla Ventures. With direct connections to premier carriers like AT&T, Vodafone, Globe and many others, BOKU offers mobile payment services in 65 countries, across more than 230 carriers. For more information, please visit www.BOKU.com.

BOKU and Pay by Mobile are registered trademarks or trademarks of BOKU, Inc., and/or its subsidiaries. All other brand names, product names, or trademarks belong to their respective holders. BOKU reserves the right to alter product offerings and specifications at any time without notice.

[via VentureBeat]