A NEW app will pay people for sharing their unused mobile phone data – while others surf the web for free.

Aloha Open Wi-Fi, which is launching in the Bournemouth, Poole and Southampton areas, already has 100,000 users registered.

Two-thirds of mobile phone users do not use all their data each month – and Aloha Open Wi-Fi links them with those who find themselves unable to get online when on the move.

Aloha’s 52-year-old chief executive Martin Regan, from Poole, said: “In a short time, people will be as familiar with Aloha as they are with WhatsApp today.”

He added: “Globally, 3.5 billion people carry smartphones, yet on a daily basis 76 per cent of us find ourselves in the position where we cannot get online due to reasons like no public Wi-Fi, unknown passwords or we have just run out of credit.

“Conversely, 67 per cent of smartphone users do not use all of the data allocated to them each month. They pay for it, but do not use it.

“Aloha is the solution to both problems; the app allows smartphone users to share their unused data in exchange for payment. The data is shared to create a peer-to-peer, free to access Wi-Fi hotspot that is available for everyone that needs it, so that no one will ever be denied access to the web again.”

The app works by users creating a barrier-free ‘host hotspot’. Hosts are rewarded with loyalty points called Aloha Bucks, which they can spend in cafes, restaurants and businesses, or exchange for cash or cryptocurrency. In the near future, Aloha says they will also be able to spend their ‘bucks’ on the Aloha Marketplace, which will host top retailers such as Amazon, ASOS and Skyscanner.

The launch follows research among 18-35-year-olds which found 100 per cent would use the app and 78 per cent said they would use it to trade and learn about crypto trading.

Businesses such as bars and restaurants can install an Aloha Hotspot Router and earn payments by giving guests free Wi-Fi and accepting Aloha Bucks as payment.

Aloha makes revenue from businesses advertising to its community. They can target an audience by region, age and interests using a message portal which sends push notifications to the audience’s smartphones.