Bango Regulatory News (BGO)

10 Sep 2008 07:00



Bango plc

("Bango" or the "Company")

Bango experiencing growing demand in the US

WAP billing gains momentum in the US as industry adapts to challenges and adopts mobile web

Bango plc (AIM: BGO), a leading mobile internet technology company, is seeing increasing use of the mobile internet in the US, as evidenced by a four-fold increase in the monthly number of WAP transactions being processed by its billing platform in the US compared with 3 months ago. 

Leading content providers including Gameloft and Dada Entertainment are choosing to sell their content using Bango's mobile billing relationships with AT&T Mobility, Sprint Nextel and Virgin Mobile. WAP billing means that the 130 million plus subscribers to these networks can now pay for mobile content either per download or as a subscription, charging it to their phone bill using the same familiar "browse and buy" experience used on the PC internet and their operator's portal.

WAP billing has become more popular because it delivers a more transparent payment experience. Customers can see the price and conditions of purchase before they click to pay. In addition, because users choose to buy content and then pay in one seamless internet session, there is substantially less room for error as compared to the two-step Premium SMS process. The improved consumer experience delivered by WAP billing brings the benefit of significantly lower customer care costs with refund levels of less than 0.1%, compared to levels approaching 10-20% where content is purchased with Premium SMS (source: industry research firm iGillot).

This growth is being driven by the key players in the mobile industry, ranging from mobile operators, leading content providers and the Mobile Marketing Association, all of whom are now supporting WAP billing for mobile content sales as a superior and safer consumer experience. Bango has extended the principles of the UK safe and secure PayForIt standard, developed by the UK mobile network operators, to apply to mobile payment processes worldwide.

Massimiliano Pellegrini, Chief Executive Officer of Dada Entertainment a joint venture between two of the worldwide leaders in the mobile and music industries, Dada USA, Inc. and SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT, commented, "The mobile web market is booming in the US - 65% of all new phones purchased are now music-enabled. WAP billing offers an easy, seamless experience for our Dada.net consumers and fits in well with our overall mobile music strategy."

Ray Anderson, CEO of Bango, added, "The US is a key market for us and we are delighted to be able to report on this positive growth trend - yet further evidence that the mobile web market place is starting to gain momentum. US operators now have confidence in the WAP billing method, and Bango's expertise and its strong relationships with these operators put us in an excellent position to benefit from this new dynamic." 

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About Bango

Bango delivers the technology that makes the mobile web simple. Bango created the world's first global exchange for the mobile web. By providing a common integration point for brands, businesses and individuals, Bango removes the complexities that make the mobile web difficult to exploit.

More businesses are now launching a mobile web presence so they can engage directly with their consumers anytime and from anywhere. Through a common integration point, Bango makes it easy for them to drive traffic to a mobile website, understand who the visitors are, track marketing campaigns and collect payment for digital content world-wide.

Bango is quoted on the London Stock Exchange (AIM:BGO). Learn more at www.bango.com