Mobile payments could soon be possible in areas where mobile phones can't make a connection, thanks to a project by SIM. 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. SIM uses thin, cheap electronics to stick a chip over a DigiTally 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.
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.