- AT&T has become the first mobile carrier to allow crypto payments
- Customers may pay their online bills through BitPay
One of the surefire signs of crypto adoption is the acceptance of it as a form of payment by major merchants which took place in the case of Travala and Amazon. This is significant because it shows that crypto is recognized by major firms as a legitimate medium of exchange and also because it means that crypto users will have more avenues through which they may spend their tokens.
A major step has been taken towards adoption as AT&T, one of the largest mobile carriers in the United States, has announced on May 23, 2019, that they now accept payments in form of cryptocurrency.
First mobile carrier to accept crypto
AT&T, with this announcement, has become the first mobile carrier that will accept payment in the form of cryptocurrencies as users may now pay their online bills through that medium.
The way the payment will take place is through BitPay, which is a cryptocurrency payment processor that allows payments to be made IN a variety of cryptocurrencies. when users log onto the account online or the myAT&T app, they will be able to select BitPay as a payment option along with additional options such as debit and credit cards.
In the announcement, it was mentioned that AT&T is trying to expand its services and cater to the market of cryptocurrency users.
“We’re always looking for ways to improve and expand our services,” said Kevin McDorman, vice president, AT&T Communications Finance Business Operations. “We have customers who use cryptocurrency, and we are happy we can offer them a way to pay their bills with the method they prefer.”
Adoption slowly but surely
This announcement is not only significant because crypto users have another medium through which they may spend their tokens but also because AT&T is a giant in the telecommunications field and its acceptance of crypto lends a lot of legitimacy to it as a form of payment. Should this be a success, AT&T could inspire other large telecommunications companies to begin accepting cryptocurrency and soon it could become an industry standard.
It also gives cryptocurrency a great deal of visibility to those who either have not heard of it or are only vaguely familiar with how it works. Either way, this is a large leap towards mainstream adoption and is a move that is sure to be received warmly.