Telecommunications

In a world of converging networks and mash ups, telecommunications carriers will have to increasingly stand at the forefront as providers of enabler services for web applications in future if they are to stay competitive. Telecommunications providers have the opportunity to administer a digital identity for users in a simple manner using services, and to act in various communication scenarios as valuable brokers for dependable and validated identity and data services.

The mobile phone, which is “always on”, will increasingly act as an omnipresent cryptographic tool which can be used to identify a person in many different situations in daily life. This could be when using cashless payment services on the Internet, as an identification helper for vital security transactions on the PC or in order to provide sensor networks with information about the user of this tool.

Fraunhofer FOKUS is contributing its long term experience in operating all-IP telecommunications infrastructures based on IP multimedia subsystems combined with its experience operating the Open SOA Telco Playground in order to demonstrate how current and upcoming telecommunications identities can be used in a broad network of Internet services in the future. FOKUS is doing this within the framework of the Secure eIdentity Lab whilst working together with partners from industry and research.