LIVE FROM GSMA MOBILE ASIA EXPO 2013: GSMA and Telecom Italia chairman Franco Bernabe (pictured) opened Mobile Asia Expo by outlining how “a laser focus on our customer’s privacy and security” will allow the mobile industry to make a key contribution to the future of innovation.

With more people sharing and accessing data via mobile devices and the number of connected devices predicted to surge in the coming years, Bernabe said privacy and security concerns need to be addressed by the mobile industry.

“It is very important for our industry to consider this challenge, as most of this data will be uploaded using mobile networks,” he noted.

Citing e-commerce as an area of significant technological evolution, with NFC, mobile money and network APIs already being deployed, Bernabe said: “The underlying question of how to ensure privacy and security when developing e-commerce and m-commerce is crucial. In fact, these services are built on the internet that does not consider the principles of privacy in security, and is lacking an effective system for identity management.”

“In this context mobile technology, built around principles of privacy and security, could play a key role in responding to the needs of consumers,” he added.

Bernabe touted the security benefits provided by operators in the form of the SIM card, with its ability to be updated over the air. As such, the GSMA chairman said SIM is the “ideal location” to store confidential financial data for use in NFC services.

The GSMA expects to see one billion SIM-based NFC handsets sold by 2016.

In addition, Bernabe said the ‘ecosystem innovation’, seen with the OneAPI industry initiative, is “dramatically stronger” than the innovation coming from online service providers, as it encompasses standards and interoperability.

Bernabe concluded on a cautionary note by saying the future of innovation is dependent on the evolution of regulation and public policy: “Regulation can deliver a flourishing future where innovation and investment is encouraged, or can lead to a struggling ecosystem burdened by procedures and cost.”