09 January 2008

BILLING - NOC commissions survey into the effectiveness or not of Payforit – have your say

The introduction of the Payforit WAP-like billing mechanism in the UK last year has been mired in controversy, with service providers and content and media companies questioning whether it offers the necessary flexibility and usability to open up the mobile content market. In response to these concerns, the Network for Online Commerce ( NOC ), the leading trade body for the interactive media and entertainment industry, has commissioned the Fathom Consultancy Group to undertake a survey of the Payforit billing system employed by the Mobile Network Operators.

The Payforit system was introduced by UK operators during 2007 as a method of service contact and billing that would give consumers confidence that they could access an ever increasing array of services via their mobile phones and pay for these in a secure and informed manner.

As reported in November last year on Telemedia-news.com, 2008 will be the make-or-break year for Payforit, and the NOC survey will seek to find how merchants, content and service providers and even consumers are finding it so far ( www.telemedia-news.com ).

Back in November, Bango reported that, of the first million Payforit transactions it completed by November 2007, 92 per cent of transactions were successfully completed with an error rate of less than one per cent ( www.telemedia-news.com ). However, content companies, service providers and other payment services all question whether it is the long term solution to the demands of the content and retail communities.

"Clearly, the success of this system is a key component in offering consumers the range of services they demand in a manner that encourages future growth,” says Roy Ellyatt, chairman of the NOC. “The UK market is a world leader in premium interactive services and the industry, via this survey, will ensure that customers enjoy the high quality support systems this requires."

To take part in the survey contact:
zoe@noconline.org