Key Points
- Bango partners with Turkcell to power new subscription super bundles in Türkiye.
- Bundles are available to Turkcell’s more than 43 million subscribers and offer savings of up to 40 percent versus standalone subscriptions.
- Bango’s platform manages the full subscription lifecycle, including onboarding, billing and account management.
Turkish wireless provider Turkcell has partnered with Bango to launch a subscription bundling platform as the company works to entice customers to its expanded 5G wireless network in the country.
On Thursday, Turkcell announced it will use Bango’s proprietary Digital Vending Machine to package different types of subscriptions, including domestic streaming services, into unique add-on bundles that customers can manage and bill to their same account as their wireless plan.
The companies said the initiative targets growing demand for streaming entertainment while positioning Turkcell to capitalize on increased mobile video consumption expected as higher-speed 5G services become more widely available.
Bango’s Digital Vending Machine is a technology platform that enables services to offer third-party subscriptions that are complementary to their own offerings. Telecoms like Turkcell have been among Bango’s largest client base; in the United States, the Digital Vending Machine is also used by companies like Verizon, Charter’s Spectrum and Comcast’s Xfinity, among others. (Some partners have non-disclosure agreements that prevents Bango from disclosing them as clients, and Bango’s own executives have declined to acknowledge certain business relationships.)
Turkcell is one of the largest wireless providers in the Republic Türkiye — a country that, until recently, was known as Turkey in the United States — with more than 43 million subscribers using its 4G LTE and 5G networks for phone and broadband services. The arrangement with Bango is not only viewed as a value add for customers, but as a way for Turkcell to address the issue of churn while it works to expand its own service offerings.
“Extensive multi-party bundles deliver exceptional value for consumers while helping partners increase engagement and retention,” Paul Larbey, the CEO of Bango, said in a statement. “By joining the Bango DVM ecosystem, Turkcell can continuously evolve its offering with leading global and local content, unlocking new opportunities for growth.”
Financial terms of the partnership were not disclosed. Neither company identified which streaming services are included in the new bundles, though a review of the Turkcell website showed the company is now offering apps like HBO Max, Apple TV, YouTube Premium, YouTube Music, Netflix and Prime Video for purchase.
Bango’s Digital Vending Machine will power a marketplace called Turkcell One, which launched this week with a 12-month price guarantee across its service offerings. That guarantee is available to customers with certain post-paid wireless plans, the company affirmed.
“At Turkcell, we are more than just a telecommunications operator; we are a technology company,” Turkcell Deputy General Manager for Marking and Digital Services Murat Akgüç said in a statement. “We shape technology to make people’s daily lives easier, simplify their needs, and make their digital experiences more accessible.”
Akgüç said Turkcell One has the potential to save customers up to 40 percent off the retail price of a subscription when it is activated and bundled through the company.
Companies like Turkcell ultimately decide for themselves which subscription services to offer their customers, which bundles to launch and what price points to offer. Bango’s Digital Vending Machine allows telecoms and other service providers to hook into those third-party subscription offerings and handle subscription management and billing from a unified platform.
