The Chinese internet company Tencent's Tenpay has won a contract from mobile operator China Unicom to become its third party online payment service provider, according to Marbridge Consulting.

Under the terms of the agreement, Unicom subscribers can use Tenpay services to recharge their phones via Unicom's online service center and apply for Unicom's online value-added services. They can also buy recharge cards, mobile handsets and 3G data cards from Unicom's online store. According to the same source, via Tenpay's accounting system, Unicom will also implement e-billing services between online service centers nationwide and provincial divisions.

Alibaba's Alipay and YeePay have also won contracts to deliver online payment services for the telecommunications operator. YeePay provides a payment platform which enables consumers or businesses across China to send and receive payments via the internet, mobile or telephone. With more than 200 million registered users, Alipay delivers ecommerce payment technology and risk management system for banks and financial institutions. Alipay guarantees all transactions made via the AliPay escrow system and reimburses any buyer or seller who has utilised the system and has become a victim of fraud.

In Q2 2009, the volume of transactions made via Tenpay reached EUR 2.53 billion (CNY 28.4 billion).