Research in Motion boss admits surprise at rapid success of carrier billing as app downloads increase by 120%
The managing director of Blackberry maker, Research in Motion, Stephen Bates has admitted his surprise at the rapid success and increase in the app downloads following its introduction of carrier billing.
In February, Research in Motion and Globe Telecom announced the new billing service that would allow customers to purchase apps on BlackBerry App World to their pre-paid accounts.
The new service was introduced to charge transnationally each month and offer a flexible method of paying for app downloads.
Speaking at last week’s Digital London conference, Bates said that the increase in app downloads was around 120% when carrier billing following the introduction of the service.
"Working in partnership with our carrier community to deliver value for BlackBerry customers is central to our business model,” Bates told The Drum. “We've been working hard to deliver integrated carrier billing to over 40 customers around the world, making it easier for them to pay for apps and services via their regular mobile phone bill. Customers which have implemented carrier billing have seen an average 120% increase in BlackBerry app purchases, with between 65 and 70% of these purchases being transacted through the carrier. Such an uplift has exceeded expectations and demonstrates how effective close collaboration with our partners can be in terms of simplifying and enhancing the end-user experience, while driving revenue streams for the wider value chain."