One Horizon Group Brings Out New Android-Based Mobile Wallet Service

Mobile payments have long had a welcome part in top-up services, offering users an easy way to buy more mobile access time—phone, data, or otherwise—from anywhere.

Recently, carrier-grade voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) provider One Horizon Group announced a new service for mobile service providers, an Android-based mobile wallet system that allows call credit purchases, using a debit or credit card for a basis.

Right now, One Horizon’s service is being offered through Smart Communications, one of the biggest wireless service providers in the Philippines.

Given that there are around 29 million Android phones currently operating in the Philippines, and many of them go through Smart Communications for service, that’s a fairly large potential user base that could take advantage of this development.

Normally, users who want to pick up more time would need to pick up some kind of voucher from a retailer, which means that the vouchers need to be printed, issued to retailers, and redeemed later on.

By removing the voucher from the equation and allowing users to purchase directly, it becomes not only more convenient for the retailer, but also for the customer, encouraging repeat business.

There are other options, like turning to iTunes or Google, but those require the use of in-house payment systems that charge a 30 percent additional fee per top up.

More convenient, but more expensive for the user. Worse, operators are expected to do a lot of heavy lifting even with these service, like handling refunds and addressing customer questions and concerns.

This is likely to be a welcome development, and one that shows us how far mobile payments systems can really go.

We know these can be used with websites and at brick-and-mortar stores, but now we’re seeing them about to be used as a customer retention tool in the face of steadily growing competition in a market that might best be described as “emerging.”

That’s a valuable point to build on, and One Horizon will likely make itself a few loyal friends in the market by offering this note of inexpensive convenience.

One Horizon’s plan may not be a big step, but it illustrates the value of a mobile payments system for even the simple things like topping up an account.

Mobile payments’ true value is in its versatility, and we’re getting an eyeful of that versatility now.