- Telcos around the world are looking to exploit the potential of network APIs and encourage new application development
- The GSMA’s Open Gateway initiative is helping to coordinate efforts
France’s four major mobile network operators are collaborating to enable the development of multiple security-related applications
France’s four main telcos – Orange, SFR, Bouygues Telecom and Iliad (Free) – are, with help from industry body the GSMA, collaborating on the coordinated launch of network APIs that will enable the development of multiple applications that will help to protect their customers from fraudsters and scammers.
As part of the GSMA’s Open Gateway initiative, which is helping operators to develop network API capabilities and strategies, the telcos will launch two network APIs based on specifications developed under the Camara common framework for the French market. By coordinating their efforts around common specifications, developers will be able to create applications that will work seamlessly across all four networks.
The applications are: KYC Match, which allows businesses to cross-check customer-provided information with the verified records maintained by the user’s mobile network operator as part of their KYC (Know Your Customer) process; and SIM Swap, which can be used to check whether a given phone number has recently changed SIM cards – this helps mitigate account takeover attacks, in which fraudsters take control of the account owner’s SIM card using social engineering techniques and stolen personal data, according to the GSMA.
