Position Paper on the Future of Prepaid Services and Micro Top-Ups
Building a More Accessible Future for Telecommunications
We believe that access to telecommunications services should be simple, flexible, and available to everyone—regardless of where they live, their income level, or the amount they wish to spend on mobile connectivity.
The rapid evolution of digital technologies has fundamentally transformed the way telecommunications services are delivered. The widespread adoption of eSIM technology, digital service distribution, and remote SIM activation has rendered many of the existing limitations of the prepaid market obsolete, as they were established in a technological environment that no longer reflects today's reality.
For this reason, we believe the time has come to initiate a global discussion on enabling micro top-ups for prepaid services, allowing users to recharge their accounts with amounts starting from the smallest denomination of their national currency.
Why Change Is Needed
The minimum top-up amounts currently applied in many countries were established years ago, when mobile operators incurred significant costs associated with manufacturing, storing, transporting, and distributing physical SIM cards and printed prepaid vouchers.
Today, this business model has changed dramatically.
An increasing number of operators now rely on eSIM technology and fully digital service distribution, significantly reducing customer acquisition and servicing costs compared with only a few years ago.
In our view, this means that the historical rationale for maintaining relatively high minimum top-up values deserves renewed consideration.
Telecommunications Accessible to Everyone
The ability to make micro top-ups could significantly improve access to telecommunications services for millions of users worldwide.
Customers should be free to recharge their prepaid accounts with exactly the amount they need at any given moment, rather than being limited to predefined top-up tiers.
Billions of Small Coins Could Return to Circulation
Across the world, billions of low-value coins remain unused in homes, wallets, cars, and piggy banks, effectively removed from active economic circulation.
Collectively, however, these coins represent billions of units of national currencies.
Allowing even the smallest denominations to be used for prepaid mobile top-ups would help bring these idle funds back into the economy while simultaneously improving convenience for consumers.
Benefits for Consumers, Mobile Operators, and Governments
Introducing micro top-ups could create value for every participant in the telecommunications ecosystem.
For Consumers
Greater accessibility to telecommunications services.
Complete freedom to choose any top-up amount.
Better control over personal spending.
Easier access to mobile connectivity.
Increased digital inclusion.
For Mobile Network Operators
Higher transaction volumes.
Increased customer engagement.
Improved customer loyalty.
Access to new customer segments.
Expansion of innovative digital sales channels.
For Governments and National Economies
Increased economic activity.
Higher tax revenues generated through a greater number of transactions.
Support for digital transformation initiatives.
Better utilization of low-denomination coins currently outside active circulation.
Continued development of the digital economy.
Our Vision
We believe the telecommunications industry should continue evolving toward greater flexibility, accessibility, and inclusiveness.
We therefore support launching an international dialogue involving telecommunications regulators, mobile network operators, consumer organizations, public institutions, and technology companies to discuss the future of prepaid services.
The objective of this collaboration should be to establish legal and regulatory frameworks that encourage innovative prepaid top-up models while preserving fair competition and market integrity.
Our Commitment
We are committed to supporting the development of next-generation telecommunications services.
Our vision is simple:
Every user should be able to recharge their prepaid account with exactly the amount they wish to spend on connectivity—even if that amount is equal to one cent, one penny, one yen, one grosz, or the smallest denomination of any national currency.
Sometimes, a single coin can become priceless—especially when it enables a message that truly matters.
This vision is particularly important as we are developing a satellite messaging device capable of SMS communication, designed to provide connectivity where conventional mobile networks are unavailable. In critical situations, even the smallest top-up may enable a message that could save lives.