Mobile payments could soon be possible in areas where mobile phones can't make a connection, thanks to a project by DigiTally. Countries that lack traditional banking structures often also have patchy mobile coverage and this can impact mobile payment services such as M-Pesa, used by almost 20 million people for transactions via SMS. The company has developed an app called MobilePay which allows users of the iPhone or Android smartphone to send money using their phone number rather than having it sent through banks. The sender and receiver swap eight-digit codes and if the codes match the payment is authorised. Trials in Kenya have been successful.
Mobile payments could soon be possible in areas where mobile phones can't make a connection, thanks to a project by DigiTally. Countries that lack traditional banking structures often also have patchy mobile coverage and this can impact mobile payment services such as M-Pesa, used by almost 20 million people for transactions via SMS. DigiTally uses thin, cheap electronics to stick a chip over a SIM card which can process transactions without the need for SMS. The sender and receiver swap eight-digit codes and if the codes match the payment is authorised. Trials in Kenya have been successful.