Using Java development tools, a cellular phone customer just successfully paid his phone bill with Bitcoin via the Lightning network.

In a momentous occasion that may largely go unnoticed by the average consumer, the first real (as in, not a test) Bitcoin payment using the Lightning network has been successfully paid.

The Lightning network enables extremely fast Bitcoin transactions that cost less than a penny. A developer by the name of Alex Bosworth created a script that uses the Bitcoin Lightning network by opening a channel between himself and the phone company. He then paid his bill from his Bitcoin wallet in seconds, with virtually no transaction fee.

This is the future of Bitcoin. Transactions on the blockchain are slow and expensive. For most transactions, however, using the Lightning network as a side-chain, will be much, much faster and far cheaper. This also enables the ability to swap currencies between other Lightning-enabled coins via atomic swaps, the most prominent of these compatible coins being Litecoin.

For the average consumer, Lightning transactions may still be quite a ways off. This developer was creating a custom script that would be far too complicated for the average Bitcoin user. It is just a matter of time, however, until an application is created, or wallets are adapted, to make this process user-friendly.

The advantages that many competing coins have held over Bitcoin may soon pale in comparison to the advancements of Bitcoin itself. In addition to Lightning, Rootstock, a smart contract side-chain, is also nearly ready for implementation. 2018 will be an amazing year for Bitcoin!

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