PayAllNow, a provider of mobile payment solutions to the adult entertainment community, has signed an agreement with TextBill, an enabler of mobile premium SMS billing and D2C marketing solutions. PayAllNow will provide TextBill with its complete Unified Payment Gateway service, which the companies feel will be a key to the continued growth of the global adult and gaming entertainment markets.
TextBill specializes in providing aggregated billing solutions including premium SMS and real-time access services to adult content providers that sell access to online content via subscription or membership services, either recurring or non-recurring dependant upon the country where the mobile phone user resides.
According to Juniper Research, there is a strong market for adult to mobile services in most regions, and alongside games and infotainment, adult will be one of the leading content types that will drive the initial use of mobile entertainment services. Juniper Research estimates the total value of mobile adult content will more than triple within the next five years, to nearly U.S. $2.1 billion by 2009. Furthermore, the potential for global mobile gaming revenues is substantial, regulatory restrictions notwithstanding. Juniper believes the markets for casino-style gambling, mobile lotteries, and mobile sports-betting services will generate revenues of more than U.S. $19.3 billion by 2009, or nearly one-third of all mobile entertainment revenues.
“We have been searching for such an innovative payment service for a long time,” TextBill Chief Executive Sean O’Connor says of the agreement with PayAllNow. “There are a lot of mobile payment solutions providers in the market that do not bill directly to credit cards or bank accounts, but PayAllNow provides this. The PayAllNow service is transparent to both customers and merchants, which is exactly what we were looking for. TextBill will now be able to offer significantly lower cash collection costs to our existing merchant customers and enable them to provide convenience and a wider range of services to end-users. The addition of PayAllNow to our processing options means that TextBill now offers the most complete payment processing solution available.”
Philip Radley-Smith, managing director of PayAllNow, says, “We are delighted that TextBill has recognized the significant benefits of PayAllNow and has selected us as its payment partner. PayAllNow offers a highly attractive alternative to premium-rate SMS billing methods, which in the adult entertainment sector is currently costing content providers up to 40 percent in commission and fees, with settlement terms in the region of 45-90 days.
“Our lower rates and faster settlement terms are being welcomed by the industry,” he continues. “Our registration and customer support service also provides age verification, which is crucial for this market sector. PayAllNow’s one-stop-shop mobile payment brand represents a significant driver of growth in the adult entertainment market.”
PayAllNow allows registered users to purchase both online and mobile content via SMS, WAP, and Web from affiliated merchants. Users register their debit and credit card details, including mobile phone number and optional email address, one time only and can purchase content from a website or WAP site by simply sending an SMS message.
The PayAllNow service, powered by HiPAAS from Upaid, performs the necessary financial authorization for the card purchase and instructs the appropriate PayAllNow merchant to deliver the product to the user. Users can have content delivered directly to their mobile handsets or receive a username and password to access content online.
PayAllNow also offers account management features, enabling users to track recent purchases and update their details via an easy-to-use Web interface or call center.
