Apple debuts carrier billing with Swisscom

Apple, Swisscom, mobile payment

Apple has launched carrier billing for purchases from its online stores and apps with Swisscom in Switzerland.

As part of its ongoing rollout of carrier billing across markets, designed to make it easier for customers to buy digital products without a credit or debit card, Apple has also partnered with FarEasTone in Taiwan, the countryโ€™s second largest operator.

Telefรณnica O2 in Germany and Beeline in Russia, a subsidiary of Dutch firm VimpelCom, have already launched carrier billing with Apple.

Swisscom said its customersโ€™ payments to Apple for purchases from iTunes, Apple Music, iBooks and Apple TV will now be calculated into their monthly phone bills. With their Apple ID, customers can set their preferred payment method for Apple as billing via Swisscom.

Carrier billing has become increasingly available in recent months. DOCOMO Digital, a Europe-based unit of Japanโ€™s NTT DOCOMO, joined with with Swisscom in March to enable physical goods to be purchased online and paid for directly onto a customerโ€™s phone bill.

Vodafone UK also signed up to use DOCOMO Digitalโ€™s carrier billing services in May, allowing customers with Android devices to play for content from the Google Play Store via their monthly phone bill.

DOCOMO Digital has struck similar deals for carrier billing with Three in Ireland and Sunrise in Switzerland.

Swisscom said in a statement: โ€œSwisscom is now offering a cross-platform mobile billing method. Something previously reserved for Android users is now available to millions of Apple customers via Swisscom. As a result of an extensive collaboration, they can as of now easily pay for digital content in the App Store and on iTunes, Apple Music, iBooks and Apple TV via their mobile phone bills.โ€