Time is Money: Cell Phone Minutes as a New Currency

Imagine you want to send money you earned to family members without access to a bank. Mobile banking has coming up with a solution. Money earned by an individual can be used to buy phone cards or currency intended for mobile banking, such as the M-Pesa. The constant utility of air time effectively guarantees cell phone minutes as a currency. 200 Minutes 12 23 45 67 89 A code on the card is entered and credit is attached to the user's SIM card (a chip within the phone). %23 %23 The owner of the minutes can transfer them to another cell phone (even one on another network). 00000< New types of businesses act as currency exchangers and provide funds to those with mobile currency. %23 %24 Imagine you want to send money you earned to family members without access to a bank. Mobile banking has coming up with a solution. Money earned by an individual can be used to buy phone cards or currency intended for mobile banking, such as the M-Pesa. The constant utility of air time effectively guarantees cell phone minutes as a currency. 200 Minutes 12 23 45 67 89 A code on the card is entered and credit is attached to the user's SIM card (a chip within the phone). %23 %23 The owner of the minutes can transfer them to another cell phone (even one on another network). 00000< New types of businesses act as currency exchangers and provide funds to those with mobile currency. %23 %24 Imagine you want to send money you earned to family members without access to a bank. Mobile banking has coming up with a solution. Money earned by an individual can be used to buy phone cards or currency intended for mobile banking, such as the M-Pesa. The constant utility of air time effectively guarantees cell phone minutes as a currency. 200 Minutes 12 23 45 67 89 A code on the card is entered and credit is attached to the user's SIM card (a chip within the phone). %23 %23 The owner of the minutes can transfer them to another cell phone (even one on another network). 00000< New types of businesses act as currency exchangers and provide funds to those with mobile currency. %23 %24 Imagine you want to send money you earned to family members without access to a bank. Mobile banking has coming up with a solution. Money earned by an individual can be used to buy phone cards or currency intended for mobile banking, such as the M-Pesa. The constant utility of air time effectively guarantees cell phone minutes as a currency. 200 Minutes 12 23 45 67 89 A code on the card is entered and credit is attached to the user's SIM card (a chip within the phone). %23 %23 The owner of the minutes can transfer them to another cell phone (even one on another network). 00000< New types of businesses act as currency exchangers and provide funds to those with mobile currency. %23 %24 Imagine you want to send money you earned to family members without access to a bank. Mobile banking has coming up with a solution. Money earned by an individual can be used to buy phone cards or currency intended for mobile banking, such as the M-Pesa. The constant utility of air time effectively guarantees cell phone minutes as a currency. 200 Minutes 12 23 45 67 89 A code on the card is entered and credit is attached to the user's SIM card (a chip within the phone). %23 %23 The owner of the minutes can transfer them to another cell phone (even one on another network). 00000< New types of businesses act as currency exchangers and provide funds to those with mobile currency. %23 %24