MTN, one of Nigeria’s leading telecommunications network providers, has hired the services of Franco-Dutch IT security leader, Gemalto, to deploy its LinqUs Mobile ID platform (MTN token) to re-register all its subscribers.
This comes on the heels of the $5.2 billion record fine placed on the mobile operator for failing to deactivate all unregistered SIM cards as ordered by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC). The new initiative marks the first commercial rollout of SIM-based services delivering convenient mobile authentication for all mobile users and further shows MTN’s commitment to contributing to a comprehensive national database.
MTN’s General Manager, Products and Innovation, A’isha Umar Mumuni, at the launch of the ‘MTN Token’, noted that “the growth in the adoption of the MTN token will deliver significant reductions in fraud, whilst easing the frustration often experienced by consumers on their digital journeys.”
The ‘MTN Token’ has been made available to about 70 million subscribers and makes MTN the first mobile network operator in Nigeria to provide secure digital identification and authentication.
How it works
‘MTN Token’ offers users a universal digital ID with a mobile-based second factor authentication, for easy and secure web service access, payments and validation for financial transactions.
While using the ‘MTN Token’ for e-commerce, banking, insurance, public and corporate networks services, the subscriber’s mobile number serves as the username. Depending on the level of protection required by the service provider, the process is completed by simply pressing OK on the mobile device, or entering a unique user-selected PIN code.
It is worthy to note that any service provider in Nigeria can now easily adopt MTN’s Token services to strengthen the protection of online services against identity theft and cybercrime. It also enables the operator to offer a convenient digital journey to its customers, removing complex registration and log-in processes, while eliminating cases of remembering new username/password combinations.
