Sri Lanka telecom operators Dialog Axiata and Mobitel are set to start a beta trial of the GSMA Mobile Connect service allowing consumers to access digital services by using their phones for authentication.

Sri Lanka is the first telecom market to implement the Mobile Connect in the world.

Etisalat Group is expected to launch Mobile Connect services in the third quarter of 2014. Orange will provide Mobile Connect-based solutions across Europe and Africa and the Middle East by 2015.

Ooredoo is aiming to provide similar services in South East Asia in 2015.

Telecom industry body GSMA said the service will be launched this month in association with select Sri Lankan online service providers including Kapruka, MyDeal and WoW.

GSMA said SIM technology providers Gemalto, Giesecke & Devrient, Morpho, Oberthur Technologies, and VALID are working with the GSMA and mobile operators to develop authentication applets to accelerate the deployment of Mobile Connect services.

Hans Wijayasuriya, group chief executive of Dialog Axiata Sri Lanka and Axiata Group Digital Services, said: “Through this trial we intend to demonstrate the power and convenience of a trusted digital authentication method centered on the mobile phone.”

Kapila Chandrasena, CEO Mobitel, said that mobile consumers yearn for more on-line, on-demand services from a multitude of service providers and this requires them to manage many different login credentials which can hinder the convenience and seamless accessibility for the user.