By Simon Hodgson
A tie up between Sonera SmartTrust and iD2 Technologies promises to turn mobile phones into digital identification devices for online buying. Although the combination of SmartTrust, the PKI division of the Finnish telco Sonera Oy, and Stockholm, Sweden-based security firm iD2 will initially benefit Nordic users banking over a mobile, Sonera is already in talks with US firms to win wider markets.
The technology bundles SmartTrust’s 1024-bit RSA encrypted private/public key infrastructure software with iD2’s digital certification technology on a SIM card. The composite system can be supported by any GSM or WAP (wireless application protocol) enabled phone, and has been developed with next generation (3G) broadband handsets, or interim GPRS (general packet radio system) terminals in mind.
Sonera will set up partnerships with service providers such as banking and ticketing firms which will charge users for the additional service. Finnish bank Leonia and Finnish brokerage eQ Online are two of the early takers. Systems integration will be provided by Hewlett-Packard Co and TietoEnator, the Finnish-Swedish IT services group.
Sonera has its sights firmly set on the 400 million mobile users worldwide, after which it will turn its hand to the personal digital assistant (PDA) market. Sonera has been trialing the SIM card with a bank in Finland. Aside from its 400 million mobile ambitions, the company was wary of putting its SIM card expectations into figures.
