Speaking with Bitcoin Magazine via email, Bitrefill COO John Carvalho said that, since Thor launched, the startup has opened hundreds of Lightning channels with customers and hopes to soon reach the thousands.
Beyond the time savings, Thor Turbo users can also choose to have their channel pre-loaded with a spendable bitcoin balance. For those who don't have Bitcoin in their wallets, Thor Turbo has a feature that converts other cryptocurrencies into spendable bitcoin on the Lightning Network. Currently, it supports ether, dash, litecoin and dogecoin conversions.
Per the release, Thor Turbo will be an optional upgrade to users and Bitrefill will continue to provide support for non-Turbo Thor channels. Carvalho said Turbo channels would cost as much as non-Turbo channels but that the fees for the original Thor service have been reduced.
Adoption of the Lightning Network has grown tremendously since it was first introduced. As of press time, the network supports a total of 7,816 nodes with a collective network capacity of 1,076.03 BTC (worth about $5.35 million).
“We're aiming to release several more Lightning-based services this year, demonstrating how businesses can make money and support Bitcoin infrastructure at the same time," Carvalho concluded.