For the first time in Sri Lanka customers will be  able to purchase apps and other digital content through their Airtel recharges or reloads on Google Play. This Direct Carrier Billing (DCB) service will permit prepaid customers to have their purchases deducted from their remaining balances, while postpaid customers will have their purchases incurred to their monthly phone bill.

Given that the circulation of credit cards is still considerably low, especially among the youth of Sri Lanka. Airtel's recent collaboration with Google Play will introduce a great alternative to online purchases for those who currently do not have a credit or a debit card. Airtel customers will be the first to be able to purchase digital content from the comfort of their smartphones, reaping the benefits of Airtel's 40% faster internet and Google Play security. Airtel customers will now have access to millions of paid apps on Google Play store, including new movies, music, educational content and games.

“Although a lot of people are online, their ability to transact has been limited because of the requirement to own a credit card. This alliance will give our customers the ability to do so in a convenient and safe manner.” said Jinesh Hegde, CEO/ MD at Bharti Airtel Lanka.  “This is a highly customizable payment solution that gives digital merchants and app stores direct access to mobile operators’ wallet”

Customers can easily activate DCB on their android handsets by adding ‘Use Airtel Billing’ in the payment methods of their Google Play account menu. Once the activation is complete, the user can simply click on ‘Buy’ on their favorite content, select ‘Bill my Airtel account’, and provide their Google account password to confirm the purchase.

To boost customer trust and avoid accidental purchases, DCB comes with a refund option that is  visible immediately on the purchased app and lasts for two hours users can keep full track of their DCB purchases via ‘Order History’ in their Google Play account menu.

With many partners to come, Airtel customers are well poised to expand the number of e-commerce services that are supported by operator payment options thus making bookings, appointments, and other services a click away.