Telefonica in Partnership with Facebook, Google, Microsoft and Rim for Global Carrier Billing

Telefonica is considered to be a renowned carrier in the world with franchises across Europe, North and Latin America. The company revealed on Thursday that it has partnered with Microsoft, Facebook, Google and Research In Motion (RIM) so that its users can easily buy digital products and subscribe to services with the help of their mobile devices.

In order to leverage its “global framework agreements” with each of the four tech giants, Telefonica is looking to introduce paid downloads and sales of digital goods and services, and has already started rolling out the essential platforms in Europe. It also hopes to introduce mobile billing services in 14 different business across the world later this year.

Dan Rose, VP of Partnerships at Facebook said, “Mobile payments are an important part of the business model for mobile web developers, but today the options are too complicated for users.”

“We’re excited to be working with Telefonica to implement a streamlined operator billing solution that simplifies the purchase process for their consumers and expands pricing options for mobile web developers.”

All four technology companies provide the facility of billing services to its users. Both Facebook and Research In Motion collaborated with Bango to provide mobile billing technologies, and Facebook has just introduced its new Play Dialog mobile SDK, which enables mobile operators to work with app developers to add a feature of operator billing into their apps.

Alternatively, Microsoft and Google have also introduced operator billing in their devices Google Play and Windows Phone Marketplace stores, collaborating with several other mobile operators worldwide to streamline the app download process and offer simple ways for customers to download other content.

O2 customers in Germany are already enjoying the operator billing service on Google Play and will soon introduce the same service on Movistar networks in Spain as well. Following an agreement with Microsoft, Telefonica will create a “Store within a Store” in the Windows Phone Marketplace in few of its national markets, providing a branded app download portal to its respective users.

The announcement made by Telefonica shows its commitment to mobile billing. A few months ago, it said that it was among many companies which were involved in mobile payments platforms.