Releasing the potential of OpenID & SIM

OpenID is starting to mature as an identity system. At the time of writing, more than 500 million users are OpenID-enabled, and more than 48 000 service provider sites support the solution and the growth is rapid. The next natural step now is to enable all those users to logon safely, yet easily, to all those services; this is not handled by the identity system itself. This paper discusses how telecom operators can be part of this evolution and exploit it commercially by facilitating the adoption of OpenID for their customers. The paper proposes a service architecture where the operator is able to exploit the growing acceptance and user base of OpenID by combining it with SIM-authentication, one of the operators' most valuable assets. The service architecture has been implemented and tested both technically and towards users. The solution allows users to easily and conveniently log on to services like Plaxo using their mobile phone and/or USB dongle with inserted U/SIM, and it can enable telecom operators to capitalise on a huge user base by combining the strengths of OpenID and the U/SIM. A discussion of the business opportunities of the solution is provided.