Japan-based mobile network operator NTT DOCOMO continues to make strides in embracing next-generation authentication security. Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., a wireless technology developer, has announced that DOCOMO is going to be the first operator to embrace the company’s Snapdragon Sense ID biometrics platform.
The platform is going to be employed with third-party biometric sensors to enable mobile biometric authentication for DOCOMO customers, starting May 27th. The move comes immediately on the heels of another major announcement – that DOCOMO has joined the FIDO Alliance’s board of directors. Given the implications of that previous news, namely that the operator would apply FIDO security standards and thereby allow its 65 million customers to abandon their archaic password systems, the company’s efforts to further enable biometric authentication appear to be the next logical step forward. And for its part, Qualcomm has experience in a range of biometric modalities, making it a strong choice for DOCOMO’s partner in delivering its new authentication system.
DOCOMO’s online authentication service is expected to launch along with new smartphones from Fujitsu and Sharp that will use the Snapdragon Sense ID platform, with a number of Android devices expected to follow suit. In a statement, the company suggested that its new biometric authentication service would greatly improve both security and the customer experience, giving users an easy and secure means by which to conveniently interface with DOCOMO services and other FIDO-enabled products and services. It’s a major step forward into the passwordless future, and one that will very likely be emulated by other mobile operators as its benefits become apparent.
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