With the advent of ways to transfer money online easily, and the addition of the Internet to nearly every cell phone, it is no wonder that many people now send money from their phones. However, the ability to send money online to friends and family from anywhere could be helping to increase the growth of the very idea of mobile finance. The fact that cell phone sales are up even in this economy, as well as an interest in mobile banking, could be an indication that the two are related to each other. The ability to get online fast using Smartphones enables people to perform tasks like transferring money at any time, which is certainly good for the mobile finance industry. Smartphones have grown in popularity due to their ease of use when it comes to the Internet, as well as fast web services that come with many, such as 3G networks. Studies have shown that most people do not get online through their phone anymore just to play a game or message a friend.
Instead, they perform everyday tasks that they would normally do at their computer. Long commutes home from work, slow-moving lines at lunch, and the simple convenience of the cell phone all help contribute to the growing interest in completing myriad tasks through it. The faster the service can be performed, such as the ability to send money online, the better. Clearly, having a fast Internet connection on a mobile device is convenient for everyone. People do not have to wait to get home to check their bank account balance, pay credit card bills, apply for new cards, and send money online, whether to other businesses or friends in need. Apparently, most Smartphone owners appreciate this, as they are using this convenience more than ever.
There are things you just can’t do in life. You can’t beat the phone company, you can’t make a waiter see you until he’s ready to see you, and you can’t go home again.
—Bill Bryson (b. 1951)
In fact, there is a new term for using financial services from a phone: mBanking. Those investigating the issue predict that mBanking will soon become as popular as e-banking, or banking from a computer, has become. There is even a specific term for making a money transfer from a phone: mMoneyTransfer. It is just as it sounds, as people can use their phone to send money online to their friends and families. Soon, this could be considered commonplace, just as we currently assume that every bank has online services that can be accessed from a computer. Researchers claim that banks and other financial companies that already have Internet services will have a head start when it comes to consumers using them on their cell phone. The better the user interface and the more streamlined the services, the easier consumers will find the website to use.
Eventually, it will be expected that nearly every task that can be performed on a desktop computer can also be completed using a mobile phone. Cell phones with more complex features and faster Internet services than ever before will help this plan come to fruition.
Remember that as a teenager you are at the last stage in your life when you will be happy to hear that the phone is for you.
—Fran Lebowitz (b. 1951)