eBay has announced it is acquiring Zong, a provider of payments through mobile carriers, for $240 million in cash. Zong has partnered with more than 250 carriers around the globe to offer its mobile payment capabilities for digital goods and services in 45 countries.

Zong allows consumers to pay for purchases using their mobile phones or computers through direct billing to their mobile phones. Consumers simply enter their mobile phone numbers and the service verifies that number and clears the payment on the customer’s wireless service account.

eBay expects that Zong will add ‘complementary technology and talent’ to PayPal, giving its 100 million users more options to pay for the goods online.

“Commerce is changing. With mobile phones, we walk around with a mall in our pockets. PayPal helps to make money work better for customers in this new commerce reality –- no matter how they want to pay or what device they’re using,” Scott Thompson, president of PayPal said in a statement. “We believe that Zong will strengthen this value by helping us reach the more than 5 billion people who have mobile phones, giving them more choice and security when they pay.”

Founded in 2008, Zong is backed by Matrix Partners, Advent Venture Partners, and Newbury Ventures. The acquisition is expected to close in the third quarter of 2011.

Other large companies have been developing their own mobile payment systems as well. In May, Google launched Google Wallet, the search giant’s mobile payment service that turns user’s mobile into a wallet. To deliver the service Google has partnered with Citi, Mastercard, FirstData, and Sprint.

According to a recent study by Juniper Research, total value of mobile payments is expected to reach $670 billion by 2015, up from $240 billion this year. Juniper Research reveals that main drivers for this growth will be rapid adoption of mobile ticketing, NFC contactless payments, physical goods purchases and money transfers as people use their mobile phones for everyday transactions.

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