In a bid to consolidate better security measures and shore up convenience in the online community, MTN Nigeria has selected Gemalto , a world leader in digital security to pioneer its first commercial roll-out of GSMA Mobile Connect authentication service through the LinqUs Mobile ID platform. It would be in form of an MTN Token.
Gemalto is an international digital security company providing software applications, secure personal devices such as smart cards and tokens, and other services. It is the world’s largest manufacturer of SIM Cards.
This new project, operated for MTN in Software as a services(SaaS) mode by Gemalto Allynis Services, marks the first commercial roll-out of SIM based services delivering convenient mobile authentication for all mobile users. Compliant with the latest GSMA standards, Mobile Connect, ‘MTN Token’ is available immediately to MTN Nigeria’s 70 million subscribers and makes MTN the first operator in Nigeria to provide secure digital identification and authentication.
MTN Token offers their users a universal digital ID with a mobile-based second factor authentication, for easy and secure web service access, payments and financial transactions validation. When using MTN Token for eCommerce, banking, insurance, ePublic and corporate networks services, your mobile phone number is employed as the username. Depending on the level of protection required by the service provider, the process is completed by simply pressing OK on the handset, or entering a unique user-selected PIN code.
Speaking on the launch of the MTN Token, General Manager, Products and Innovation at MTN Nigeria, A'isha Umar Mumuni said
“With the launch of MTN Token, we are the first private provider of secure online identity and positioned as a warrant of digital ID and authentication in Nigeria. And as our network of service providers adopting MTN Token grows, the solution will deliver significant reductions in fraud whilst easing the frustration often experienced by consumers on their digital journeys.”
Eric Claudel, the President for Middle East and Africa at Gemalto also went ahead to expatiate on the relationship between the two brands and the future of SIM security.
“The long-established partnership between MTN Nigeria and Gemalto is the perfect foundation for this ground-breaking project. Bridging the gap between security and convenience, Mobile Connect represents the future of user authentication. It also fully supports operators in monetizing new value added services”.
Any service provider in Nigeria can now easily adopt MTN Token services to dramatically strengthen protection of online services against identity theft and cyber crime. It also enables the operator to offer a convenient digital journey to its customers, removing complex registration and log-in processes, while sparing them the hassle of remembering new username/password combinations.
