VEON’s MobileID gains momentum to replace social network authentication

VEON Ltd. a global digital operator that provides mobile connectivity and services, announces that its MobileID authentication system has gained significant user, operator and online business support in its bid to become a global standard and replace authentication through social networks.

VEON’s MobileID, developed using the GSMA’s universal identity service, Mobile Connect, provides consumers with a digital passport to online services and retailers though their mobile devices and replaces the current approach of online authentication through social networks.

“We need to take ‘fake’ out of the Internet. This means that the world needs to transition from social network identity-based verification to mobile identity-based verification,” states Kaan Terzioğlu, CEO, VEON. “At VEON, we believe that we have a societal responsibility to protect our consumer and business customers. Ensuring that customer data is kept by licensed, regulated, and locally based service providers we believe delivers a much-needed level of customer data protection. MobileID is an important step in that direction, and we will be working actively to expand its use through operator adoption and interoperability agreements.”

The initiative to create a mobile-enabled solution to tackle the issue of digital identity verification has received the support of the GSMA, which represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide.

“The role of the mobile device in society has changed dramatically over the years and its use in verifying digital identity is a logical next step,” explains Alex Sinclair, Chief Technology Officer, GSMA. “We encourage the development of technology that improves security for consumers and the GSMA’s Mobile Connect service provides a solid foundation to do just that. We are very pleased to see MobileID grow rapidly and combat the challenges around identity and fraud.”

Following a surge in VEON’s Russian customers using MobileID from 600,000 in December 2021 to over one million today, VEON is announcing the expansion of MobileID to its mobile operators in Uzbekistan, Georgia and Pakistan. This is expected to provide its customers with a seamless sign-in to digital applications and services, and VEON has also extended the functionality of MobileID to include physical security, where it can be used to provide access to offices and other buildings.

MobileID has also been adopted by other international mobile operators, including MTS, Megafon, Tele2, and Digicel, and online service providers and retailers supporting MobileID now include 38 leading companies.

“MobileID is a compelling solution to the acceleration and broadening of access to electronic services, that enables financial and social inclusion. Critical advantages include convenience, as most people take their phones everywhere; security, through multi-factor authentication; and the relatively low cost for deploying agencies,” comments Julian Burton, Digicel Group, Chief Digital Officer.

“GSMA’s MobileID technology offers a convenient and secure client digital identification path for mobile subscribers. And that is why MTS, like other market players, is actively launching solutions for clients’ onboarding in e-comerce and fintech. We have already created a significant user base of such solutions within our Mobile ID platform,” stated Sergey Yakovlev, the Head of MTS Center for Identification and Digital Products.

MobileID safeguards both consumers and online companies. Since mobile operators have a verifiable record of their customer’s identity, physical address or their financial details, MobileID has a potential to provide a much more secure form of ID than the self-declared persona that customers can create via social media. For online service providers and retailers, it enables them to securely authenticate users and manage their users’ credentials.

MobileID offers consumers a streamlined, password free, customer authentication experience. Consumers benefit from the autofill of information for items such as credit applications, while the Permission Centre module will enable customers to manage and control permissions previously granted to service providers. The implementation of MobileID is through a device’s SIM-card and this enables MobileID to work on any device, including feature phones.

For online retailers, the sharing of customer attributes and knowledge of their physical location reduces operational fraud and enables the inclusion of credit rating information.

CT Bureau