While I do see potential for helping the unbanked through blockchain, I wonder how long we have to wait to see that happen.

Most people who are unbanked in developing and frontier markets have low incomes. For stats, 75% to 80% people in India live on less than 2$ a day. 25$ phone is nearly half their monthly income.

Additionally, what is the likelihood of running a sophisticated app on a cheap chinese smartphone.

Lastly, does the local telecom infrastructure reach the unbanked? Are they using 4G or are they still using 2G technology to call and text.

I think lightning network adoption is quite far away for the unbanked. But I hope I am wrong.