While browsing my regular news feeds for today, keeping myself updated with what happens in the crypto world (a daunting task, I agree, but a worthy one), I stumbled upon a pice of news which raised my eyebrow.

According to [Korea Times](http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/tech/2018/09/133_255620.html), a Korean mobile carrier, LG U+ (an LG company) will start a cross-border payment solution, based on... you guessed, the blockchain!

LG U+ partnered with two mobile carriers, one from Taiwan (Far East Communication) and the other from Japan (SoftBank), with which the solution will be tested first.

So, according to the same source, here's what this cross-border payment solution actually means:

> Once the service is launched, LG Uplus subscribers will be able to buy things at selected retailers using their mobile phones when they travel to Taiwan and Japan. 

> Far EasTone subscribers will also be able to enjoy the same convenience when traveling to Korea and Japan. 

> The service uses direct carrier billing, enabling transactions to be billed and paid through their carrier in their home currency.

Although it may look like "yet another hype blockchain move by established businesses", I think this is much more than that. 

Here's why.

### 1. Mobile carriers already have relevant user bases, and very high usage rates (everybody uses a mobile phone these days, much more than a computer)

### 2. Mobile carriers already have fiat payment solutions in place. Things like "pay by SMS" are very common for more than 10 years now.

### 3. Because the solution is based on blockchain, and not on some legacy technology, it means it can be interconnected with "real" crypto tokens, quite easily (not from the beginning, probably, but very soon after launch).

I don't think we will see this in real life sooner than a couple of years (LG U+ said they will start testing early next year) but I do think this will drastically increase adoption. 

There is this steep learning curve when it comes to crypto economics - and blockchain, generally speaking - which may be toned down (if not nullified completely) if it's masked behind some familiar activity, like paying with an SMS. The end user doesn't really need to know all that mining stuff, Proof of Stake theories and alike. All they want is to spend some money.

I also think this move will shift the blockchain core user base from fintech aficionados (people interested in "new money" and "financial freedom"), to mobile phone users, a bigger, fuzzier and more diluted demographic, but one that will be able to boost usage well beyond our most optimistic expectations.

I don't know of another initiative like this, from a major mobile phone company, so if you know about one, please leave it in the comments, I'd love to do more research on this topic.
***
_I'm a serial entrepreneur, blogger and ultrarunner. You can find me mainly on my blog at [Dragos Roua](http://dragosroua.com) where I write about productivity, business, relationships and running. Here on Steemit you may stay updated by following me @dragosroua._
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