Bango Platform enables 9pay wallet for Google Play users in Nigeria

Bango announces that it has launched operator-billed payments for Google Play users with 9mobile in Nigeria. Through the 9mobile 9pay wallet, customers in Nigeria can pay for the wealth of media, games, apps and digital content in Google Play, with one-click, without the need to own a credit card or bank account.

Ray Anderson, Bango CEO commented: “With high Android device penetration and a low banked population, Africa has become a prime market for transformative mobile payment solutions. Direct Carrier Billing and stored value systems such as 9mobile 9pay wallet provide a safe, simple mechanism for increasing access for millions to digital content and services. Enabling 9mobile to launch their 9pay wallet as a payment option in Google Play is an important milestone for Bango, further increasing our footprint in Africa and enabling millions more consumers to fully participate in the digital revolution.”

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Carrier billing startup Boku to float on Aim to raise £45m

Boku is floating on the London Stock Exchange today.

The firm has embarked on an IPO to raise £45m, and will have a market capitalisation of £125m when it floats on Alternative Investment Market (Aim).

Jon Prideaux, chief executive of Boku, said: “The Aim admission today is a significant milestone for Boku and strongly positions the company to accelerate its growth plans. We are delighted with the backing shown by a wide number of quality institutional investors and thank them for their support.

Boku is very well positioned in the direct carrier billing market and there are significant opportunities for growth which we intend to capitalise on. We very much look forward to life as a public company and to updating the market on our continued progress in the months and years ahead.”

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Ooredoo offers Bank to Wallet Transfer service

Ooredoo has announced that its Ooredoo Money service has launched a new ‘Bank to Wallet Transfer’ feature in collaboration with QNB.

With the new service, any Ooredoo Money customer with a bank account in Qatar can conveniently and securely transfer money from their bank account directly to their Ooredoo Money Wallet.

A maximum of QR10,000 can be received in a full wallet per day. Once deposited in the wallet, customers can then transfer the money internationally, 24 hours a day using Ooredoo Money partners MoneyGram or Aldar Exchange at one of the best exchange rates in Qatar.

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Tata Communications expands footprint to Brazil

Tata Communications has extended its emerging markets reach by expanding to Brazil, connecting carriers and enterprises to and from Latin America using its global network and Seabras-1 system.

“Our expansion to Brazil is part of our commitment of continually building our capabilities and reach to meet our customers’ increasing data demands worldwide,” said Bob Laskey, ‎senior vice president and head of Americas at Tata Communications.

“Enterprises across sectors such as financial services, technology and manufacturing are embracing the cloud, mobility and the Internet of Things to survive and thrive in constantly evolving environments. Secure, reliable, superfast connectivity on a global scale is the foundation for this digital transformation.”

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Docomo, Sumitomo Electric testing 5G real-time traffic monitoring

Sumitomo Electric Industries Ltd and NTT Docomo Inc say that since September 19 they have been jointly testing the real-time collection and delivery of traffic information using high-definition sensors connected via a fifth-generation (5G) mobile communications system for advanced driving support.

The system networks sensors that have been mounted on vehicles and installed along roadsides or in buildings to collect traffic information that is analyzed in real time and then fed back to drivers and pedestrians.

Docomo is researching and developing technologies to connect vehicles and everything via advanced wireless systems, including existing LTE and coming 5G technologies. Docomo’s envisioned 5G communications system will enable high-performance sensors to collect, analyze and provide detailed traffic information in real time to drivers anytime, anywhere.

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