Brooklyn startup goTenna has announced that they have partnered with Samourai Wallet to create an Android app which will allow users to send and receive Bitcoin without the need for an internet connection.
We are excited to announce the forthcoming release of TxTenna, made in collaboration with @SamouraiWallet
This app will allow users to make bitcoin transactions over a decentralized, off-grid network!https://t.co/W5FqapaNtb
— goTenna (@gotenna) May 14, 2018
The txTenna app requires syncing to a goTenna device, which along with other goTenna devices forms a mesh network to relay transactions. The devices must be within a mile of each other for the mesh network to carry the transaction signals. Once the transaction hits a network member with an internet connection the information in the transaction will be added to the distributed ledger.
A major advantage of the technology is the ability to make transactions in areas where the internet is compromised. Richard Myers, an engineer at goTenna, told Coindesk that, “you need to be able to spend your bitcoin even in disaster areas.” The technology was recently used in Puerto Rico, helping people find each other in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria.
Additionally, using the mesh network makes transactions significantly more private. As Myers says, “it’s going to obscure who you are and where you’re at when making these transactions. So that’s a big privacy advantage there.”
goTenna was attracted to Samourai Wallet due to its developers’ open source work on Github. Staying true to the open source ethos, txTenna’s code could be resourced for other wallets too. According to Myer, the technology could “work with any software wallet… It will be something any wallet provider could send transactions through.” This leaves open the possibility for an iOS app, or even a hardware version. When asked if it could be developed with a hard wallet, goTenna said that they have an open SDK (i.e. software development kit), and that developers should “go for it!”
we have an open SDK! go for it
— goTenna (@gotenna) May 15, 2018
Image From Shutterstock
