A 3GPP open-ID framework

Abstract

Currently Mobile Network Operators (MNO) rely on an authentication, authorization and profile management architecture which has proved, by its generalized use and acceptance, as being appropriate. The use of a secure component, the SIM-Card, provides a set of capabilities not seen in other access architectures and an advantage for MNOs. Nevertheless upcoming requirements in terms of open interfaces, new services and customer demands are questioning the actual architecture. This paper presents a novel approach to authentication and profile management that can be reused by both MNOs and 3rd party providers to answer the upcoming requirements. Here, a user is able to store his own identity information in different places, while taking advantage of the strong authentication mechanisms provided by the MNO. Furthermore, by integrating MNOs' generic authentication architecture with user-centric identity management, we are creating a generic way for service providers to reuse this authentication infrastructure, providing both single sign-on and strong authentication. Copyright © 2010 The authors.