CelcomDigi has announced that it is working with Google Firebase and Telenor Linx for more secure API-as-a-Service (APIaaS) capabilities. Through the partnership, the telco claims that it is the first to offer network-based phone verification on the internet search giant’s backend cloud computing services.
From the announcement, CelcomDigi says that this allows “developers to deliver secure, seamless and trusted digital onboarding experiences at scale”. It is also said to be “redefining how users onboard and authenticate across digital services through a secure, one-tap experience”.
Secure Verification In the Background, Skipping OTPs
Which is all well and good, but what does this all mean for the end user? CelcomDigi says that the partnership allows its users to verify their mobile number instantly without relying on One-Time Passwords (OTPs). When signing up for banking-ecommerce or ride-0hailing apps, the telco says that verification happens in the background “through a trusted connection between the app and the mobile network”. This skips the SMS OTP step entirely, reducing friction as well as scam risks and OTP interception.
Naturally, businesses benefits from this APIaaS model as well. Beyond the aforementioned frictionless onboarding, the reduced dependency on SMS OTP would also be reducing the associated operational costs. The reduced fraud risk would also help enhance user trust, leading to better engagement and conversion rates. It would also help “build scalable, cloud-native authentication flows for digital services”, as well as mitigate artificial traffic.
