Leading Sri Lankan mobile operators launch GSMA mobile connect trial
Shanghai - The GSMA, a group association of mobile telephone operators, this week announced that leading Sri Lankan operators Dialog Axiata and Mobitel will launch a beta trial of the GSMA Mobile Connect service that will allow consumers to conveniently,securely and consistently access a wide array of digital services by using their smartphones and feature phones as devices for authentication.
The service will be launched in conjunction with select Sri Lankan online service providers including Kapruka, MyDeal and WoW and will be made available to participating subscribers by the end of June. The GSMA, in its statement, also announced that leading SIM technology providers Gemalto, Giesecke and Devrient, Morpho, OberthurTechnologies, and VALID are working with the GSMA and mobile operators to develop authentication applets to accelerate the widespread deployment of Mobile Connect services.
"Consumers are increasingly concerned over the security of their digital identity and mobile operators are ideally positioned to enable consumers to manage this by ensuring they can interact and access services in a private, trusted and secure way," said Anne Bouverot, Director General, GSMA. "Both the trial and the support of the major SIM technology providers are important steps as the industry works in cooperation to accelerate and establish a consistent and standardised set of services for managing digital authentication and identity globally."
Dr. Hans Wijayasuriya, Group Chief Executive of Dialog Axiata
Dialog Axiata is honoured to be a partner in this first beta launch of GSMA Mobile Connect, alongside Mobitel and leading service providers from Sri Lanka's digital services eco-system"
Sri Lanka and Axiata Group Digital Services, said "Dialog Axiata is honoured to be a partner in this first beta launch of GSMA Mobile Connect, alongside Mobitel and leading service providers from Sri Lanka's digital services ecosystem".
He said, "Through this trial we intend to actively demonstrate the power and convenience of a trusted digital authentication method, centred on the mobile phone. Dialog and the Axiata Group are collectively committed to further innovation in mobile digital identity and look forward to playing a lead role in the evolution of this inclusive and consumer friendly alternative to web-based authentication technology."
Kapila Chandrasena, CEO Mobitel, noted that the launch by both Mobitel and Dialog marks a first implementation of the Mobile Connect service anywhere in the world and demonstrates interoperability of services across operators.
"Consumers today yearn for more on-line, on-demand services from a multitude of service providers and this requires them to manage many different log in credentials which can hinder the convenience and seamless accessibility for the user. We are certain that GSMA Mobile Connect will provide a rich user experience, leveraging readily available and ubiquitous mobile technologies, while ensuring security for both the consumer and the service provider for a convenient and safe transaction," he said.
The Sri Lankan launch marks a first implementation of the Mobile Connect service anywhere in the world and demonstrates interoperability of services across operators, and with the support of major SIM technology providers paves the way for further launches of the Mobile Connect service over the next year. In addition, Etisalat is expected to launch Mobile Connect services in the third quarter of 2014, and, in line with their commitments to providing customers with the highest possible level of security.