[LINK] not having a mobile phone

[Ivan Trundle]

On 11/10/2009, at 6:25 PM, Danny Yee wrote:

>> But on the serious side, you can't open a bank account without a
>> permanent address, either - does this mean that not having a  
>> permanent
>> address will be a criminal offence in 20 or 30 years?
>
> I was being hyperbolic.  But while I doubt the legal system will ever
> require possession of a mobile phone, I forsee it being assumed in
> more and more other contexts.

Understood - but I was extending the envelope.

The 'requirements' for transactions with any entity are often  
arbitrary, and usually based on assumptions made by those that fit the  
demographic. Looks like ubank are doing what comes naturally.

And I've been in a situation when I didn't have a permanent address  
but needed to open a new bank account (travelling in northern Europe),  
and found it exceedingly difficult to do so. In the end, I found a  
proxy address which got the ball rolling. From then on, it was much  
simpler, though I did have to get mail forwarded to wherever I was,  
and that weak link eventually broke.

I suspect the same applies to mobile phone requirements: quote a  
related number for now, and determine if that number is actually  
needed thereafter.

iT