A1, An Austrian Telecom Heavyweight to Accept Crypto Payments

It is yet another victory for
cryptocurrency fans and advocates around the world as one of Austria’s leading
mobile providers announces its plan to accept crypto payments at some store
locations. A1, which services over 5 million Austrian mobile phone users made
the announcement (as reported by local technology website, Futurezone) stating
that it will accept digital payments as part of a pilot project. The success of
the pilot project will see the addition of Alipay and WeChat Pay by the end of
August.

Cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Dash, Ethereum, Litecoin, Stellar and XRP are amongst the first batch of cryptocurrencies that will be accepted in 7 store locations. A1 currently serves more than 80% of Austria’s mobile phone users and this could mark the beginning of a new wave of crypto acceptance in the country.

A1’s head of business marketing, Markus Schreiber was quoted discrediting the traditional cash model. He said:

Cash is a discontinued model. With our pilot operation in the A1 shops, we will test demand and acceptance of digital currency in Austria.

The payment option will cover both local Austrians and tourists.