GSMA launches Mobile Connect in India

The GSMA has launched its Mobile Connect authentication service across India, in collaboration with six mobile operators.

Bharti Airtel, Idea, Aircel, Vodafone India, Tata Teleservices and Telenor India have all started offering Mobile Connect services.

A range of Indian digital service providers in sectors including commerce, finance and banking, health services, media and entertainment, travel and hospitality and B2B have agreed to make use of the system

GSMA director general Mats Granryd said the Indian launch marks the culmination of a year-long collaboration with the Indian mobile operators to introduce a single, secure mobile-based authentication system to the market.

“With Mobile Connect, mobile operators are fulfilling an important role in the digital identity space, giving users control over their own data and enabling Indian consumers, businesses and governments alike to interact and access online services in a convenient, private, and trusted environment,” he said.

Mobile Connect  employs a user’s unique mobile number and combines it with a unique PIN for more secure use cases to verify and grant online access to services.

The system is now being implemented by 42 operators in 22 countries worldwide, making it available to nearly 3 billion customers.