Boku signs carrier billing deal with Japan's AWA

Telecoms carrier commerce provider Boku announced a preferred partnership agreement with AWA on Monday, to allow AWA's Japanese customers to charge their recurring monthly subscription fees directly to their mobile phone bills, via direct carrier billing.

The AIM-traded firm said that under the agreement, Boku would offer direct carrier billing as a payment mechanism available to AWA's customer base, via AWA's website and mobile application.

Boku said its support for tokenised payments and subscription management capabilities would allow AWA's customers to “seamlessly” graduate from a free trial promotion to a paid subscription, while reducing the operational burden faced by companies in building out native subscription management engines.

The company said the partnership reflected the “growing trend” among consumers in Japan to use direct carrier billing, to purchase digital goods and services through online channels.

“Boku has proven to be a trusted partner for us, not only helping AWA ensure that we are able to continue to acquire new paying users, but also in ensuring that our existing customers enjoy a convenient and reliable billing experience,” said AWA chief executive officer Tetsutaro Ono.

Jon Prideaux, chief executive officer of Boku, added that Japan was “one of the most sophisticated” markets in its adoption and embrace of mobile payments, with AWA “leading the charge” in making payments frictionless for customers.

“We are thrilled to help AWA on their mission to bring music to the masses and look forward to collaborating with them more in the future.”

At 1424 GMT, shares in Boku were down 0.71% at 70p.