Google is rolling out direct operator billing for its Android Market app store for operators in South Korea.

Direct operator billing allows users to charge their app purchases directly to their phone bill or pre-pay account, removing the need for credit cards.This should encourage more people to download applications, fuelling the use of additional data services and uptake of smartphones.

Android developer ecosystem staff member Eric Chu wrote on the Android Developers blog that the company has started a phased rollout of the service for South Korea’s top two operator networks, SK Telecom and KT Corp. The rollout should allow more than 10 million users in South Korea to use direct operator billing when buying their Android apps.

Vodafone recently launched direct operator billing for Android Market in Germany and the UK and is reported to be making it available to all of its customers around the world.

Direct operator billing for Android Market is already being used by AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile in the US and by KDDI, NTT DoCoMo and SoftBank in Japan.

“Direct Carrier Billing is a key payment option for users worldwide, especially in regions where credit cards are less common. We will continue to partner with more operators to offer this payment option to their Android users,” Chu wrote in his blog post.