Robin, We do not expect the mobile network operators to own or operate the identity infrastructure. We will enable the MNOs to participate in new mComerce services and new advertising models. We can prevent the MNOs from being disenfranchised in the emerging world of mCommerce. We have had initial discussions with two of the leading MNOs in the U.S. We will present a paper at the Mobile Money Summit, 24-27 May in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (we will forward that paper to the Kantara community). A key component of our infrastructure will be an easy to use digital wallet where credentials can be securely provisioned and transactions occur smoothly. This digital wallet will be the cornerstone of NFC technologies on mobile devices and provide the interface for identity, marketing and financial services. Every aspect of digital life that depends on identity and transactions will flow through the digital wallet. Our proposal to the MNOs is that we will help create the standards for the digital wallet on mobile devices. These standards will establish the MNOs as the de facto arbitrators of identity. Imagine a world where the MNOs control secure identity and can meter all types of services that flow through their networks. It is a world in which the MNOs play a dominant role in world commerce. We know the MNOs have a high incentive to participate in this process. Commodization is a real threat to the MNOs. If they simply provide bandwidth instead of services their profit outlook is bleak. Slashdot, one of the leading online technical communities, had a recent post regarding the possibility that Google and others will turn the mobile network operators (MNOs) into cheap data providers by driving the MNOs to commoditization: "Becoming a pure bandwidth provider is every cellco's nightmare". http://mobile.slashdot.org/story/09/12/19/2230246/Making-Sense-of-the-Cellph... The Boston Globe echoed this sentiment: "In Google's ideal world... the phone companies would become mere data pipelines, and power and profits would shift to makers of phone software and services, like Google". http://www.boston.com/business/technology/articles/2010/01/14/cellphone_aims... This will be a three to five year project to build the prototype, do implementation tests and prove the technology. You are absolutely right that this evolution a slow process. This may or may not be an accurate observation (please correct me if I am wrong), but it seems that the members of the Kantara community are primarily focused on corporate identity systems and they have missed the broad range impact of mobile devices on consumer identity. Mike Robin Wilton wrote:
I've got to admire your optimism, Michael...
Over the last 15 years, I've watched the telcos and financial institutions be put forward (by third parties, I hasten to add) as the prime candidates to own and operate
- the "utility" PKI; - the "utility" IDPs;
Trouble is, neither type of organisation seems to share the enthusiasm of those putting them forward for the role.
In those cases, the obstacles seemed to be:
1 - liability 2 - the good old e-commerce concept of "friction"...
It could just be that we're seeing an evolution here, and that the time for this model has arrived... but evolution is a slow process.
R