Globe expands billing service

Globe Telecom, the country’s second biggest telecommunications services firm, expanded its Direct Carrier Billing (DCB) service to include Microsoft Lumia smartphone users, a statement on Monday showed.

Globe said it was the first telco in the country to provide this service, which would allow Microsoft Lumia and Windows phone users a secure channel to download and purchase  mobile applications and in-app content without the need for a credit card.

Rolled out starting June 18, the service will allow all Globe Postpaid, Prepaid and TM customers to charge their Windows Mobile Store purchases straight to their postpaid bill or prepaid load.

“This new innovation that will benefit our customers using handsets running on Windows OS is another testament to our thrust to bring the country to the global digital landscape,” Griselda Go, vice president for Content at Globe, said in the statement.

The Windows Mobile Store app comes pre-installed on all supported Windows phone devices with OS 7.5 and above, and is pinned to the Start screen within the App List.

Premium content available for download and purchase includes games, in-game items and goods, virtual currency and points, virtual goods from social networks, subscriptions for granted access for games, and even E-books, Globe said in the statement.

Go noted that the Globe direct carrier billing service for the Windows Mobile Store formed part of the company’s initiatives that would cater to the country’s digital landscape.

Other initiatives in the pipeline include the launch of Single Bill service which will expand direct carrier billing beyond mobile applications by allowing customers to purchase applications and in-app items for Desktop/PC and Microsoft’s Xbox.