Verify age through your mobile operator, says group of UK telecoms

UK mobile operators Virgin Media O2, BT, EE and Vodafone Group have announced the commercial launch of new age verification and fraud prevention capabilities for its network technologies.

A release says the measures to verify customer ages and combat digital fraud, will be delivered through the GSMA Open Gateway initiative, which “facilitates the design of digital products capable of operating seamlessly on all devices, regardless of the country or operator,” and is backed by more than 79 mobile operators worldwide.

The move is partially in response to the UK’s Online Safety Act and regulator Ofcom’s promise to enforce rules covering age checks for online services. The Age Verification Providers Association (AVPA) says UK consumers are “now undergoing five million additional age checks every day under the new law.”

Head of Networks for GSMA Henry Calvert says age assurance is “just one area where the smart use of mobile networks can support online entertainment and commerce sites, and safeguard consumers.”

“By giving developers easier, secure access to the rich network functionality of mobile networks, we can also use network intelligence in the fight against fraud and scams. We’ve already seen the results UK mobile operators and banks have achieved through Scam Signal and look forward to building on these foundations.”

The launch introduces three new CAMARA APIs.

KYC Age Verification, which allows operators who already manage verified user data, such as date of birth linked to mobile numbers, to provide a “seamless and privacy-compliant solution for digital platforms” including streaming services, gaming platforms, online marketplaces and adult content websites.

The KYC Tenure API offers a method to determine whether a phone number has been in use for a significant period, offering “a strong indicator of user stability and reducing reliance on self-reported identity data.”

Finally, the KYC Match API, which is forthcoming, allows businesses to cross-check customer-provided information with verified records maintained by the user’s mobile network operator, as part of their KYC process. The check can include details such as mobile phone number, name, postal code, address, birthdate and email address.

Article Topics

age verification  |  CAMARA  |  fraud prevention  |  KYC Age Verification  |  Online Safety Act  |  telecom  |  UK age verification