Facebook has made a “payment services” deal with UK-based mobile billing and analytics company Bango.
The terms of the deal have not been disclosed yet.
Bango’s board claims that it is “early in the relationship to accurately forecast the level of business which it may generate.”
Bango’s technology powers commerce for businesses that targets the growing market of internet enabled mobile phone users. Thousands of businesses use Bango’s products to collect payment from mobile users for online content and services. Bango also provide analytics for mobile marketing campaigns and sites.
Thousands of small content providers and developers along with bigger players like BlackBerry App World, Gameloft, Flycell, Amazon, and EA Mobile user Bango products to run their mobile businesses.
Mobile commerce is expected to be worth $37 billion by 2016, according to a recent report published by Informa Telecoms & Media.
With Bango in the picture, the deal could mean new services that allows users to purchase Facebook Credits and other related items directly through its mobile app and/or mobile site may be rolled out soon. Facebook may also be looking to use Bango’s analytics capabilities to track how mobile content is used and consumed, in order to deliver target advertising.
Either way, this partnership now brings more weight to the rumor about Facebook planning to bring Sponsored Stories to mobile user’s feeds by March.
Facebook currently has over 425 million active users of its mobile products.
