Viva Bahrain, the newest telecom services operator in the kingdom, has joined hands with Microsoft Devices to start a direct operator billing facility for the Windows Phone Store.

The unique initiative will enable Viva Bahrain customers to purchase apps from the Windows store without a credit card, and the same would be directly charged to their monthly post-paid bill or debited from their prepaid account, said a statement from the company.

"The Windows store has a wide collection of premium apps but since some of them are priced, at times phone users hesitate to make a purchase as most of them either do not have a credit card or prefer not to share their credit card details," remarked Andrew Hanna, the chief commercial officer, Viva Bahrain.  

"The direct operator billing facility will enable our customers to purchase apps from anywhere, at any time, and download the very latest in mobile enhancements at their convenience. Through this direct payment channel, we are giving customers the benefit of performing any online or in-store transaction in an easy and secure way," he said.

"With this payment option in place, Viva Bahrain customers do not need to use a credit card to pay for applications and content on Windows Phone Store and can enjoy the one-stop convenience of having all of their application purchases consolidated into their mobile bill or prepaid account," added Hanna.

Vithesh Reddy, the general manager (Lower Gulf) Microsoft Devices, pointed out that the usage of apps on smartphones had completely transformed the world’s mobile landscape.

"While we offer a huge variety of free content on the Windows Phone Store, it is just as important for both developers and consumers to have quality paid-for content available as well," noted Reddy.

"Microsoft has always worked towards making innovation affordable to everyone and with the partnership with Viva Bahrain, we are elated to see our customers get to enjoy all the latest applications in a manner that is safe, secure and convenient," he said.-TradeArabia News Service