The way it works: consumers touch a payment device (which is in the form of either a plastic card or a sticker that can be applied to a mobile phone or any personal item) to a Zip-enabled contactless reader to make a payment.

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Direct Operator Billing from MACH will enable Skype to bring a vital alternative payment method to these channels: Skype users will be able to charge their Skype credit to their mobile phone bill or pre-paid account, and enjoy the frictionless user experience gained from this payment method.

ENGADGET: Skype strikes deal with Mach to expand direct carrier billing for credit purchases

The online payment service providers and the mobile phone manufacturers (particularly nowadays with smartphones where it is a software-driven market) seem genetically indisposed to interoperability among their services: they are used to working in markets where relentless competition and one-upmanship is what moves the industry forward.

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