At the heart of these efforts is a whole set of hurdles that e-commerce is struggling to clear. Not everyone has a credit card. Nor does everyone have a bank account that can be drafted. International monetary exchanges online are complicated and sometimes costly. Meanwhile, the Internet economy, with its emerging markets in single-track digital music downloads and access to valuable intellectual property, is in need of ways to recoup costs and pay artists.
Some industry analysts say micropayments and similar proposals are unnecessary.
Debit and credit card systems in place in the United States can be replicated worldwide, they insist. And it's just a matter of time before countries agree on ways to electronically exchange their existing currencies using the Internet, they say. But right now, the world is full of fresh ideas. Customers set up accounts so they can transfer funds back and forth without having to wait for personal checks to clear or money orders to be delivered. The service uses MasterCard or Visa credit card accounts and includes debit cards.