{"id":483055,"date":"2022-08-10T15:57:31","date_gmt":"2022-08-10T12:57:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/bitcoin-without-internet-sms-service-allows-sending-btc-with-a-text\/"},"modified":"2022-08-10T15:57:31","modified_gmt":"2022-08-10T12:57:31","slug":"bitcoin-without-internet-sms-service-allows-sending-btc-with-a-text","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/bitcoin-without-internet-sms-service-allows-sending-btc-with-a-text\/","title":{"rendered":"# Bitcoin without internet: SMS service allows sending BTC with a text"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3080456b077\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3080456b077\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/bitcoin-without-internet-sms-service-allows-sending-btc-with-a-text\/#%E2%80%9D_Bitcoin_without_internet_SMS_service_allows_sending_BTC_with_a_text_%E2%80%9C\" >&#8221; Bitcoin without internet: SMS service allows sending BTC with a text &#8220;<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9D_Bitcoin_without_internet_SMS_service_allows_sending_BTC_with_a_text_%E2%80%9C\"><\/span>&#8221; Bitcoin without internet: SMS service allows sending BTC with a text &#8220;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<div class=\"post-content\" data-v-28d77a7a>An innovation using the cellular network (GSM) could onboard millions of Bitcoin (BTC) users previously unreachable by the internet-dependent Bitcoin protocol.\u00a0Built by South African developer Kgothatso Ngako, the new SMS-based service is named Machankura, a slang South African word for money.<\/p>\n<p>KG, as he\u2019s known to his friends, spoke to Cointelegraph from Pretoria, South Africa, about his fascination with Bitcoin and the hope he has that sending it like a text will bring BTC to millions of Africans.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Machankura, the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Bitcoin?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Bitcoin<\/a> for feature phones service in Africa, is slowly growing. <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/TZngXXVhu0\">https:\/\/t.co\/TZngXXVhu0<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Derek Ross \u26a15\ufe0f\u20e3 (@derekmross) <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/derekmross\/status\/1556695155977162754?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">August 8, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>\nAs an English speaker, when he first learned about Bitcoin, he listened to audiobooks and podcasts on the way to work. His commute kept getting longer to maximize Bitcoin education. A 20-minute cycle became a 2-hour commute to the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in South Africa, where he worked as a software developer.\u00a0KG also coded up Manchakura while working at the CRIS.<\/p>\n<p>In a separate interview, Master Guantai, founder of Bitcoin Mtaani, told Cointelegraph, \u201cThe number of cellphones in Africa is double the number of people.\u201d However, internet-enabled smartphone penetration remains low.<\/p>\n<p>In Kenya, Guantai\u2019s home country, he explains that topping up a phone with airtime is as common as credit card payments in the West. A report by Caribou backs up the statement: 94% of financial transactions in Africa are through USSD, the protocol used to send text messages, whereas just 6% of these transactions are made via mobile <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>s. \u200b\u200b<\/p>\n<p>In sum, while there are millions of phones in Africa, they\u2019re mostly used for texting. KG had stumbled onto something that could be huge for Bitcoin adoption in Africa.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cThis year, a lot of conversations in the space were around USSD or making Bitcoin accessible on feature phones\u2013this could be a part-time project\u2013let me just set it up. And that\u2019s basically how Machankura came to be!\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>KG started by building an African language translation project Exonumia. Now providing Bitcoin-related education in dozens of languages, he explained to Cointelegraph that if we make Bitcoin more accessible to Africans, then, as a consequence, they will learn about money and find a way to improve their quality of life. <\/p>\n<p>Once Exonumia picked up steam, he questioned, \u201cwhat are the other barriers to accepting Bitcoin? Language is one\u2013the other is internet access.\u201d He sums up the internet in Africa as a space dominated by big applications such as Instagram and <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Facebook<\/a>. The problems inherent to smartphone users are having enough space on phones, internet connectivity and price. <\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.cointelegraph.com\/uploads\/2022-08\/bcb7718e-3dcd-4d56-9126-aa5bf1ad4cb4.png\"><figcaption style=\"text-align: center;\">KG shares screenshots of Machankura in action.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>KG explains, \u201cThe major focus is on spending and receiving Bitcoin.\u201d KG explains how it works. Users dial a number and then introduced to a menu where they can learn more about Bitcoin or register an account. &#8220;All you need to register an account is a 5-digit pin, and from there on, you are presented with a different menu: send and receive Bitcoin.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Here is Paco, the\u00a0Bitcoin <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/trip-and-travel\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"10\" title=\"Trip &amp; Travel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">travel<\/a>er who won\u2019t stop teaching people about Bitcoin around the world\u2013demonstrating Machankura to a teacher in Nigeria, at Cointelegraph\u2019s request.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Used <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Machankura8333?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@Machankura8333<\/a> to share some Sats with High school teacher in Lagos, Nigeria.<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/LumiExc?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@LumiExc<\/a> went to this school.<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/btc?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#btc<\/a> <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/hyperbitcoinization?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#hyperbitcoinization<\/a> <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/ba5SPAGPLE\">pic.twitter.com\/ba5SPAGPLE<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Paco de la \u26a1 (@RunwithBitcoin) <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RunwithBitcoin\/status\/1556786885808332801?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">August 8, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>As a result, Lightning wallet-compatible apps on phones or computers can send Bitcoin over the Lightning Network to the phone\u2019s number\u2013it has effectively become a lightning address. Machankura has integrated with Bitrefill, an increasingly popular prepaid gift card service for Bitcoin in Africa. Soon,\u00a0South Africans will be able to top up their Lighting Wallets with credit from grocery stores in a partnership with \u201cOne for you,\u201d a voucher provider.\u00a0<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Machankura users can now redeem <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Azteco_?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@Azteco_<\/a> (and 1 For You) Bitcoin vouchers using the USSD interface. <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/qkPRwGzkrL\">pic.twitter.com\/qkPRwGzkrL<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Machankura 8333 (@Machankura8333) <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Machankura8333\/status\/1557290245330198528?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">August 10, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>As Ngako summarizes, &#8220;A person literally without no internet access can go from having no Bitcoin to having Bitcoin and then go to spending Bitcoin.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Related:\u00a0Bitcoin is for billions: Fedimint on scaling BTC in the global south<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Master Guantai also shares that it works well in six African countries already. Plus, popular exchange Paxful has already shown interest, Guantai explains, as the ease with which people can be onboarded using GSM is understated.<\/p>\n<p>KG flags potential concerns with the innovation as the government banning or reacting negatively to Bitcoin. The commission fees for buying the voucher could put people off, and the fact that KG understands that in offering a centralized company to onboard people into Bitcoin, there\u2019s a risk that they don\u2019t spend the time getting to know the <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/technology\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"4\" title=\"Technology\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">technology<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>Plus, the service is custodial, a point that works against the Bitcoin ethos of \u201cnot your keys, not your coins.\u201d So, he is looking for a way to use SIM cards as private keys.<\/p>\n<p><template data-name=\"subscription_form\" data-type=\"markets_outlook\"><\/template><\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/general\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">General category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/news\/bitcoin-without-internet-sms-service-allows-sending-btc-with-a-text\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8221; Bitcoin without internet: SMS service allows sending BTC with a text &#8220; An innovation using the cellular network (GSM) could onboard millions of Bitcoin (BTC) users previously unreachable by the internet-dependent Bitcoin protocol.\u00a0Built by South African developer Kgothatso Ngako, the new SMS-based service is named Machankura, a slang South African word for money. KG,&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":483056,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/images.cointelegraph.com\/images\/1200_aHR0cHM6Ly9zMy5jb2ludGVsZWdyYXBoLmNvbS91cGxvYWRzLzIwMjItMDgvYmRkNDMwN2ItOTA3ZS00M2I4LTk5ZGUtYzExNzlhYmJjYjc1LmpwZw==.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[74862,74863,132174,74355,72602,4965],"class_list":["post-483055","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general","tag-bitcoin","tag-cryptocurrencies","tag-sms","tag-adoption","tag-south-africa","tag-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/483055","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=483055"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/483055\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/483056"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=483055"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=483055"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=483055"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}