Facebook Adds Mobile Billing Option in France

Published November 20, 2012, 12:59 p.m. EST

Updated November 20, 2012, 11:59 a.m. EST

1 Min Read

Facebook now allows customers of Orange, a French wireless operator, to make purchases online and have the charges added to their phone bills.

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The carrier-billing function operates through Bango, which provides similar services in the U.K. for Facebook users.

"I am proud of this partnership with Facebook, which once again demonstrates the attractiveness of operator billing solutions," says Hélène ViotPoirier, head of portals at Orange, in a Nov. 19 press release.

The carrier-billing option eliminates the need for consumers to type in payment-card details to purchase items on Facebook. Consumers complete transactions with two clicks.

Facebook has been working aggressively to flesh out its social network's payments capabilities.

In September, Facebook added technology to allow software developers to accept payments from mobile devices. Facebook has also been phasing out its "Credits" virtual currency in favor of a system that allows payments in local currencies.

Though Facebook gets most of its revenue from advertising, it generated 15% of its 2011 revenue from payments. Facebook has also been obtaining money transmitter licenses in various states.

Bailey Reutzel

Bailey Reutzel is a freelance reporter and author of MoneyTripping. She was previously a staff writer at PaymentsSource.

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