UK mobile payment provider PM Connect has secured a sizeable rolling contract with Belgium’s largest mobile carrier Proximus.
The partnership with Proximus, who hold an approximate 40% share of the Belgian mobile market, will allow PM Connect to bring premium content from its global brand partners to Belgian audiences for the first time.
Following on from PM Connect’s deal with Africa’s biggest mobile carrier, Vodacom, the Proximus win sees the company continue to strengthen its global presence, proving its worth in an established European market.
Birmingham-based PM Connect’s mobile payment solutions allow consumers to pay for lifestyle and sports content, videos and articles through carrier billing – adding payments directly to their phone bill.
This eliminates the clunky sign-up processes associated with paying for subscriptions via credit or debit card – allowing customers to stream content straight to their mobiles in just a few clicks.
Bert Maetens, carrier billing partner manager at Proximus, commented: “This deal with PM Connect significantly expands our product portfolio, bolstering our sports and gaming offering to millions of consumers.
“With Proximus’ dedication to mobile payment security, we chose PM Connect for its impressive track record of providing secure, streamlined mobile payment and marketing solutions.”
With plans to roll out mobile-payment-enabled subscription sites for sporting giants WWE and NBA, the deal will allow PM Connect to introduce its LiveFootball.tv app to Proximus’s six million mobile customers.
The app provides football fans with premium video and live statistics from the Premier League, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, France’s Ligue 1 and Belgium’s own First Division Jupiler League, powered by world leading sports data providers Opta.
“Through carrier billing, we offer our customers the chance to access top-quality content from global brands with maximum speed and ease,” continued Maetens. “In a crowded market, being able to provide top apps and subscription sites, as well as a hassle-free way to pay for them, is crucial.
“Top sports and entertainment packages are becoming a central part of our sell – and, with top matches able to pull in upwards of 4 million Belgian viewers, LiveFootball.tv is particularly welcome in harnessing and monetising Belgian football fever.
“We look forward to continuing to work with PM Connect as they open up even more global brands to the thriving Belgian market.”
PM Connect’s mobile subscription sites are already rolled out across Europe, the Middle East, Asia Pacific and Africa – with the recent Vodacom deal the first step in a wide-scale African expansion.
Chris Purdie, group commercial director at PM Connect, said: “In addition to wins in emerging global economies, strengthening our presence in the European market is crucial for PM Connect’s growth strategy.
“Our deal with Proximus marks a key step in establishing ourselves in countries where carrier billing is already widespread – using our solutions to monetise the existing audiences of global brands.
“In competitive Western markets, it’s even more important we stand out. Our expertise in sports apps and subscription sites – driving growth for both brands and carriers – is a real point of difference.”
This latest partnership concludes a stellar year for PM Connect, which included a contract win with the NBA and inclusion in the Sunday Times Hiscox Times Tech Track 100 – which ranks the 100 British tech companies with the highest growing sales – for the second year running.
The business currently processes around two million payments a month, with the Vodacom deal part of a period of growth that has seen staff double in the last 18 months and a 59% increase in turnover over the past three years.