To drive rollout and adoption of a universal, secure mobile-based authentication standard, Singapore’s three mobile operators – M1, Singtel and StarHub – are jointly developing a platform aimed at enabling easy integration with online service providers through a common Mobile Connect API.

The three companies expect to announce the first wave of supported online services in the second half of next year.

The GSMA’s Mobile Connect authentication standard is designed to enable fast, simple and secure access to a variety of online services from smartphones.

According to the GSMA, 87 per cent of consumers leave a website when asked to register. Additionally, they also face difficulties remembering their growing list of usernames and passwords, with 40 per cent using the “forget password” feature each month.

Through interactive prompts, customers will be able to confirm their identity using their mobile number, combined with a unique personal code for online transactions that require greater levels of security. No information is made available to online service providers without users’ permission.

Accepting Mobile Connect logins will benefit online service providers by offering simpler sign-ups, reducing customer frustration and abandoned transactions due to authentication issues, and increasing the likelihood of repeat business, GSMA said in a statement.