Independent research conducted in the US and UK on behalf of Openwave Mobility, a software innovator enabling operators to manage and monetize mobile traffic, has found that the majority of mobile subscribers (76%) welcome help from mobile operators who can offer them sign-ins for apps and services.
Even more positively, the study found that people trust mobile operators second only to online banks when it comes to storing their personal data. This includes username/password, location, internet browsing habits, buying habits, and address. Subscribers trust their mobile operator more than social networks, search engines and government intelligence services.
Trust is highest among the youngest. Millennials (specifically those aged 16-34) are much happier to see their personal data stored online than older generations. In fact American millennials trust their mobile operator far more than any of the other named institutions - even including online banks.
Adding to the impetus for operators to act, the research also shows that the time people waste trying to remember or re-set passwords and recover usernames is now the single largest frustration of their mobile experience. According to over 2,000 mobile subscribers across the US and UK, it is even more frustrating than buffering videos, dropped calls and badly-targeted advertising.
All of this data taken together strengthens the case for mobile operators to deliver Mobile Single Sign-On and mobile identity services. Operators are uniquely positioned to relieve the widespread frustration associated with usernames and passwords. Mobile Single Sign-On solutions allow mobile users to seamlessly log into websites and apps using their mobile identity without needing to remember usernames and passwords.
Openwave Mobility’s digital identity solution, SmartIDM, is integrated with the GSMA's Mobile Connect solution, a secure, seamless authentication solution which matches a user to their mobile device. Together these allow subscribers to securely sign into websites and applications with a single click. Uniquely, SmartIDM, extends the scope of Mobile Connect to provide seamless authentication for services using encrypted traffic (HTTPS), which now represents the majority of mobile data traffic globally.
Indranil Chatterjee, SVP of Product Management, Marketing & Sales at Openwave Mobility said: “Subscribers are clearly saying they are open to mobile operators taking the lead in eliminating their biggest mobile frustration. This would also be a huge win for the operators, cementing their position in the online ecosystem and greatly increasing loyalty among their subscriber base.”
The survey on subscriber attitudes to online verification and subscriber data was conducted over August and September by independent research agency Censuswide who interviewed over 2,000 consumers in the US and UK. Full details of this survey can be obtained by contacting Openwave Mobility (below).
