Telefonica SA (TEF) said Thursday that it is working with Facebook (FB), Google (GOOG), Microsoft (MSFT) and Research in Motion (NASDAQ: RIMM) to allow its customers to pay for digital goods with their smartphones.
The Spanish broadband and telecommunications company said it's using its direct to bill payments services to allow users to buy apps and make in-app purchases on their phones.
Telefonica owns the British mobile carrier O2.
"Few organizations can claim to have a direct billing relationship with hundreds of millions of customers globally," says Matthew Key, Telefonica's chairman and chief executive of its digital division, in a press release. "The creation of Telefonica digital has allowed us to better harness the power of their capability."
