Japanese telecom adopts FIDO authentication

Tokyo’s J:Com, which services 6.68 million households in Japan with digital services including cable TV and high-speed internet, is adopting FIDO passwordless authentication using mobile biometrics for its customers, provided by NRI Secure Technologies, Ltd.

A case study published by the FIDO Alliance says that for the implementation, J:COM used NRI Secure’s FIDO-compliant authentication platform Uni-ID Libra.

The Japanese comms company made the switch from multi-factor authentication (MFA) using one-time passwords (OTPs) in order to stay up to date with the latest security measures, “while continuously and swiftly pursuing the convenience of easy ID registration and login, which are often contradictory goals.”

The case study reports some early bumps in guiding users through initial setup, which were resolved with improved screen displays and support site decisions, underscoring the importance of user-centric design.

The implementation has proven successful to date, with FIDO passkey credentials accounting for 16 percent of total ID registrations as of September 2024. As well, 25 services have been enabled to use biometric authentication.

“This implementation has not only improved convenience but also resulted in cost savings on SMS transmission fees,” says the study, “as the cost remained flat despite the increase in the number of users and authentications for the services provided by J:Com.”

Article Topics

biometric authentication  |  biometrics  |  consumer adoption  |  FIDO Alliance  |  mobile biometrics  |  passkeys  |  passwordless authentication