South African MVNO The Unlimited has gone into partnership with British based cryptocurrency, Electroneum (ETN), to help manage airtime top up via the latter’s mobile app.

ETN users in South Africa can now top up their airtime and data directly with cryptocurrency and The Unlimited, which doubles up as a financial services provider, will give users double airtime and double data, as an incentive to purchase via the payment method.

The companies claim the deal will “give real-world value to ETN”, helping them reach the 11.2 million ‘unbanked’ people living in South Africa.

The free app also allows users to ‘mine’ up to $3 USD worth of ETN every month.

Before the partnership, ETN was said to have a user base of close to three million. It will start out as a three-month trial.

Richard Ells, director and founder of Electroneum, said his company did not “do anything without careful deliberation” and that it had studied South Africa “for some time because we knew there was a real market in the country and a real desire” for a service like ETN.

He added the decisions was made after careful deliberation and assessment of financial inclusion data, including incomes and access to financial services. “We saw that The Unlimited do things differently and that makes them a perfect partner for Electroneum,” he said. “We wanted to work with a company whose ethos and vision aligned with our own and we’re going to make a vast difference to the lives of people throughout South Africa.” The country has already shown itself open-minded to the launch, with 77% of the total population saying they are interested in crypto.

He added that the country had already shown itself open-minded to the launch, with 77% of the total population saying it was interested in cryptocurrencies.

To take advantage of the new collaboration, users just need to download the Electroneum app and select “Get your free SIM”.