GSMA announces launch of Mobile Connect across India

July 19, 2016

Six Leading Operators Announce Commercial Availability of Mobile Connect, Provide Mobile Authentication Services to More than 800 Million Consumers

New Delhi: At a launch event held in New Delhi today, the GSMA announced that the GSMA’s Mobile Connect mobile-based authentication solution is now available to more than 800 million consumers across India¹ . Mobile network operators (MNOs) offering Mobile Connect services are Aircel, Bharti Airtel, Idea, Tata Teleservices Ltd, Telenor and Vodafone.

The launch event was hosted by Mats Granryd, Director General, GSMA, who was joined by representatives from India’s leading mobile operators including Anupam Vasudev, CMO, Aircel; Srikanth Balachandran, Global CHRO, Bharti Airtel; Sashi Shankar, CMO, Idea Cellular; Sunil Tandon, Head Non Voice Services, Tata Teleservices; Upanga Dutta, CMO, Telenor and Sunil Sood, CEO, Vodafone. Executives from the first digital service providers launching Mobile Connect including Shobana Kamineni, Executive Vice-Chairman, Apollo Hospitals Group, and Anshuman Bapna, Chief Product Officer, MakeMyTrip also participated. The panel discussed the need for Mobile Connect, how it will benefit consumers across India and how it will contribute to Digital India.

“India is already the world’s second-largest mobile market² and as the country enters a new phase of mobile industry growth that will unlock far-reaching social and economic benefits, it is critical that consumer security is ensured at all times,” said Mats Granryd, Director General, GSMA. “Today’s launch marks the culmination of a year-long collaboration amongst the Indian MNOs to deliver a single, intuitive and secure mobile-based authentication solution that enables hundreds of millions of consumers to safely and seamlessly access online services on their mobile devices without worrying about privacy or passwords. We are proud to be celebrating this significant milestone here today.”

The Indian operators’ launch of Mobile Connect extends the global momentum behind the solution; today, 42 operators in 22 countries around the world are implementing Mobile Connect, making it available to nearly 3 billion customers. The GSMA’s Mobile Connect solution enables customers to create and manage a digital universal identity via a single login. The service simply and securely authenticates users, enabling them to digitally confirm their identity and their credentials and grant safe online access to mobile and digital services. Mobile Connect works by employing the user’s unique mobile number, combined with a unique PIN for more secure use cases, to verify and grant online access.

As Mobile Connect is rolled out in India, it will be commercially used by a wide range of digital service providers including GaneshaSpeaks, GoIbibo, Trupay, Twigly, Zee Digital Group and Zomato, covering areas such as commerce, finance and banking, health services, media and entertainment and travel and hospitality. Additionally, business-to-business Mobile Connect services have been deployed by BuyHatke and Times Mobile Ltd., enabled by mXpresso and will help to prevent fraud installations and fake application downloads. Apigee and WSO2.Telco have provided technology to easily integrate Mobile Connect with the operators’ networks, so that users of any mobile network offering Mobile Connect can log in and be authorised for any application.

Indian mobile subscribers will initially be able to access Mobile Connect services, including login and self-care apps, from their operator’s website and in the future, anywhere they see the Mobile Connect logo. In addition to the operators’ websites, the GSMA has launched a portal (www.mobileconnect.in) where Indian consumers can find further information on Mobile Connect and tutorials on how they can use it.

Granryd concluded “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.”