Rajoppe's solution takes this cultural quirk and combines it with another Japanese feature—the ubiquity of net-enabled cell phones (almost 30 million cell phones are connected to the Internet). What if, he mused, the barcode could be delivered directly to the cellphone screen by a server? In other words, the utility user could log into her gas company, input an ID and a password, have the relevant information presented as a barcode on the screen, and have the phone itself swiped at the store before handing over the appropriate cash. (The ID and password are the "what you know" part of the security—the phone itself can provide "what you have" security through caller ID.) Hey presto! the bill's been paid. No extra equipment needed by the convenience store, no printing or envelope stuffing required by the utility company. (the cost of an average direct mail shot in Japan is between ¥150 and ¥250 - or between $1 and $2) And the customer can pay the bill anywhere, any time. Of course, as Rajoppe explains, one of the first customers for such a solution should be the mobile phone providers themselves.

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