America’s rival telecom operators AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon joined hands for creating the Mobile Authentication Taskforce to develop a mobile authentication solution for enterprises and customers in 2018.

The objective of developing a mobile authentication solution is to block identity theft, bank fraud, fraudulent purchases and data theft.

With the four largest U.S. mobile network operators onboard, the Mobile Authentication Taskforce possesses significant capabilities and insights to address this issue, such as network-based device authentication, geo-location and SIM card recognition.

“We will be working closely with the taskforce to ensure this solution is aligned and interoperable with solutions deployed by operators,” said Alex Sinclair, chief technology officer of GSMA.

The proposed advanced, mobile authentication solution will help to reduce mobile identity risks by analyzing data and activity patterns on a mobile network to predict, with a high degree of certainty, whether the user is who they say they are.