New Delhi, January 12, 2015: Microsoft and Idea Cellular have introduced operator billing on the Windows Store for Idea subscribers. This partnership enables Idea users on all Microsoft Lumia devices as well as all Windows-based smartphones across brands to access their favourite premium apps and games from the Windows Store and pay for them through integrated operator billing. The amount will be either added to their monthly mobile phone bills or deducted from their pre-paid balance, depending on their data plans.
With this announcement, Idea Cellular becomes the first operator in India to offer integrated operator billing on the Windows Store. This facility will make the consumer’s payment experience more seamless and will be a boon for those who do not own credit cards or are uncomfortable using them for online transactions.
According to Nikhil Mathur, Director – B2B & Operator Channels, Nokia India Sales Pvt. Ltd., a subsidiary of Microsoft Mobile Oy, “Microsoft’s partnership with Idea Cellular is a big step towards providing Indian consumers easy and simplified access to Windows Store content through operator billing. With smartphones becoming more affordable, adoption of mobile internet is witnessing an unprecedented growth and we are confident that this partnership will further accelerate growth for the app ecosystem with mobile internet users making a shift towards consuming premium apps and content on their devices.”
Speaking at the announcement, Sashi Shankar, Chief Marketing Officer, Idea Cellular, said “Microsoft and Idea have had a long-standing and an extremely fruitful association, and this new venture will only strengthen our joint mission to offer enriched services to our consumers. This development eases a consumer’s access to premium apps on Windows Store through a convenient purchase process. We are happy to be the first operator to partner with Microsoft for Windows Store and offer our consumers the ease to download a range of local and global applications without worrying about the mode of payment.”
“Microsoft is constantly working on expanding monetization options for developers on our platforms and this partnership is another step in that direction. Unlike other parts of the world, credit card penetration in India is very low and this in turn impedes the consumer purchase experience and limits app monetization. With the introduction of operator billing, we have seen significant increase in consumer commerce across developed and emerging markets. We expect Microsoft’s partnership with Idea Cellular to immensely benefit consumers and developers,” said Harish Vaidyanathan, Director-Evangelism at Microsoft Corporation (India) Pvt. Ltd.
The Windows Store currently offers over 550,000 apps and enjoys a 66% YoY growth in the number of titles available with 8 billion cumulative downloads to date*. Globally, it offers 81 mobile operator billing connections in 46 markets with carriers representing 2.5 billion total subscribers*. Operator billing helps developers increase revenues and we have witnessed an increase of 8x per month for total paid transactions in emerging markets and 3x in developed markets.*
*Microsoft data
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (NASDAQ “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services, devices and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.
About Microsoft Devices
The Microsoft Devices Group includes award-winning hardware used by over a billion people around the world, including Lumia smartphones and tablets, Nokia mobile phones, Xbox hardware, Surface, Perceptive Pixel products, and accessories.
About Idea Cellular
IDEA Cellular is India’s 3rd largest national mobile operator, with over 150 million subscribers. With traffic in excess of 1.75 billion minutes a day, Idea ranks among the Top 10 country operators in the world. Using the latest in technology, Idea provides world-class service delivery through the most extensive network of customer touch points. Idea is listed on the National Stock Exchange (NSE) and the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) in India.
IDEA Cellular is an Aditya Birla Group Company, India’s first truly multinational corporation. The Group ranks Number 4 globally and Number 1 in the Asia Pacific in the 2011 Top Companies for Leaders (TCFL) study conducted by Aon Hewitt, Fortune (the Global Business Magazine) and the RBL Group. It operates in 36 countries, and is anchored by more than 136,000 employees belonging to 42 nationalities. More information on Idea Cellular is available at www.ideacellular.com and on the Aditya Birla Group at www.adityabirla.com
