In one of the first deployments in the region, ‘Touch’ users can now benefit from in-app operator billing. Mobile application fees will be added to the monthly bill for touch postpaid lines or will be deducted from the available balance for prepaid touch customers.
‘Touch’ the leading mobile operator managed by Zain, debuted this trend-setting service with the Anghami’s music mobile application during a press conference held on the 19th of June under the auspices and in the presence of the Minister of Telecommunications Nicolas Sehnaoui along with select media.
In his speech, the Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) at “touch,” Nadim Khater, explained that touch has devised a 4 fold mobile apps strategy to build a fully functional ecosystem: the touch mobile app, the app store, the in-app payment system and the touch cloud. He added, “Telecos have matured methods to bill for minutes, sms and megabytes; In-app payments present a new front for telecos to innovate and tap into new revenue streams. In-app payments are also very attractive for mobile app developers and start-ups to monetize their ideas by gaining access to a huge customer base that could be unbanked and doesn’t need a card to transact – they could pay through touch! We couldn’t find a more perfect partner than “Anghami” to debut this functionality with. They have a great team, a solid business model, and they target a large segment of music lovers.”
Eddy Maroun, co-founder of “Anghami”, added that the application reflects its name as it allows the user to download and listen to the songs of his choice anywhere he might be. He added, “When it comes to intellectual property and legal aspects, this application is considered to be the largest implemented project in this domain. Touch is supporting the subscribers by having them pay the application fees with a simple click of a button.”
From his side, Minister of Telecommunications Nicolas Sehnaoui said, “The Lebanese youth have the potential and the talent to succeed in any domain. These successes have begun to rise in Lebanon and all around the world. ‘Touch’ in collaboration with the local app stores and the Lebanese innovators are encouraging the university graduates to delve into the challenges of this sector which reflects the efforts and the seriousness that the company is investing to move into a world of modern telecommunications.”
