Mail & Guardian Readers now can subscribe to mobile Mail & Guardian content via SMS.

In Africa, more people have mobile phones than credit cards. So when it comes to low-value online transactions, mobile phones offer a much neater solution.

The Mail & Guardian, the first African newspaper to go online, recently launched a monthly subscription-based version of their site for mobile users. Transactions for this service are handled via SMS text messaging. Compared to online credit card processing, the mobile alternative is much easier, takes less time and feels much more secure.

This model can also apply to online subscription sales, in which a user obtains a code for a "day pass" to premium online content.

It certainly seems that while the paid-content model has been relatively unsuccessful via personal computers, it has a bright future on mobile platforms in Africa.