Infobip has announced that it is partnering with Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea to provide mobile identity services to enterprises and technology companies.
Mobile identity uses mobile operators’ subscriber data to verify and authenticate mobile users through their mobile numbers without the need for them to take additional steps for a smoother more frictionless customer experience. The service addresses the needs of enterprises looking to speed up the introduction of new services in a way that encourages quicker uptake by digital-savvy users who in turn are looking for secure but seamless experiences. Industries with a pronounced need for this type of user-friendly authentication service include banks and fintech companies, retailers and e-commerce firms, social networks, streaming and cloud service providers, and many more.
The partnership between Infobip and India’s two leading mobile operators will initially offer the silent mobile verification (SMV) service, which allows quick mobile number verification when installing an app or logging in to an account. SMV is implemented as a background process imperceptible to the user, with no need for the user to wait for a one-time PIN via SMS or a verification call, cutting down on the time needed and improving user experience. The roadmap includes adding a number of more elaborate anti-fraud and security use cases and services to better serve an increasingly digitised Indian market.
“Mobile Identity is one of our crucial projects and I cannot stress enough the importance of this partnership in such a strategic market for Infobip. Partnering with Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea gives us coverage of over half of the country’s mobile user base, which is essential for a further push in expanding emerging authentication solutions as digital transformation accelerates, worldwide and in India,” said Silvio Kutic, founder and CEO of Infobip.
Infobip and the GSMA jointly approached Indian mobile operators as part of the GSMA Identity Revenue Acceleration Initiative.
“We’re delighted to see this collaboration between Infobip and Mobile Operators in India to scale and launch new innovative Mobile Identity services. India’s digital sector is growing at an astounding rate, and engagement in the digital world depends on trust; Mobile operator products are key to this growth. There is a huge opportunity in this market for companies to provide direct, fast, and safe anti-fraud solutions to protect consumers” – said Richard Cockle, head of digital identity, IoT at GSMA.
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for security and anti-fraud solutions that meet the demands of mobile users for both data protection and user experience. Mobile Identity perfectly fits this paradigm, relieving the users of unnecessary steps in account creation or login, online purchase or other types of transaction. Rather, verification takes place in the background and takes less time which is also important for a superior digital experience.
