Google in talks with Airtel to usher in carrier billing

Internet giant Google is in talks with Airtel to allow customers of the country's largest mobile operator to pay for digital items such as e-books, paid apps and in-app purchases through their service provider.

In a country where millions of smartphone users do not use credit cards, such a tie-up can significantly boost Google's digital goods business, and app developers and content creators will end up earning more.

Two people aware of the talks said Google and Airtel are currently trying to come to an agreement on revenue sharing.

If they join hands, then Google can sell its apps and digital content to Airtel subscribers without having to collect banking details. Airtel has nearly 40 million data subscribers in India, of which 12.5 million are on 3G.

At present, Indian mobile users can pay for their purchases from Google's apps store Google Play through credit cards, debit cards or gift cards