In a move to monetize its mobile usage, Facebook appears to have launched telecom operator billing in India, in partnership with Airtel, Loop and Uninor. The social networking giant today announced a simplified two step carrier billing process with a majority of the carriers in the US and the UK, saying that it will roll out this process to other telcos globally. While we're not sure if this tie-up with Airtel, Loop and Uninor is new, we haven't noticed it before. We tried buying facebook credits via Airtel, and here's how it went: Buying Facebook Credits On Airtel - We tried buying Farmville Cash and noticed a 'Buy with Mobile' option - We selected a package - Got a confirmation prompt with my default phone number selected as a payment option. - Another prompt to verify or re-enter the mobile number. - We were asked to send an SMS to Zong's code - We received the confirmatory message on our phone after sending the SMS. Facebook says that it has simplified the process now: down to two from what used to be seven steps, including SMS verification, which we've illustrated above. Telco Billing: Opportunities & Challenges Note that in India, credit and debit card payments require a second factor of authentication, which is the 3D secure method online, and the incredibly unreliable and painful OTP (One Time Password) method on mobile. This barrier to buying can be overcome with telecom operator billing, but it usually comes with its own issues - most…
