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Experian to offer mobile signature services

Database services giant Experian has teamed up with Valimo Wireless Ltd. and Keynectis to offer mobile signature services to the French market.

Experian will integrate Valimo's mobile signature technology and Keynectis' infrastructure for managing digital certificates into a single-service offering. Banks, corporate customers, public administration and governmental agencies will be able to use the mobile signatures.

"Technically the first driver to be used for a mobile signature is to authenticate the end users to an online bank," said Antti Vihavainen, senior vice president of business development for Valimo, Helsinki, Finland.

Experian offers marketing and consumer credit information as well as database and online marketing services to clients worldwide.

The growing threat of phishing along with the surge in online and mobile banking has led to more investment in secure transaction processes.

"There are dozens of interesting scenarios [where], as a mobile marketer you are offering the end user a possibility to, for example, buy a last-minute flight according to the profile of the user of the mobile phone," Mr. Vihavainen said.

"With this kind of technology, you can make it very straightforward," he said. "It is possible with just one push of the button to accept the offer to buy a $200 flight because you are already known to the bank with your mobile phone."

Twelve banks in Turkey are already supporting their retail customers' use of Valimo's mobile signature service to authenticate themselves for online banking and to digitally sign bank transactions.

With the mobile signature service there is no need to invest in a public key infrastructure, Valimo claims. Also, it is claimed that Experian processing centers make this a reliable service and the service-level agreement affirms support and maintenance processes.

"Every single European country has accepted the law for digital/electronic signature," Mr. Vihavainen said.

France is one of the leaders in electronic transactions and online banking with the use of mobile signatures enabling remote payment transactions.

While not available in the United States, a mobile signature for legally binding documents may result in quicker processing, if overseas experience is any indication.

"I'm not aware of anything commercial [with mobile signatures] in the U.S.," Mr. Vihavainen said.

"The primary challenge is how to know who the people are behind the screen or carrying the phone in remote transactions," he said. "We are addressing this challenge with the mobile signature. In Turkey, you can get a marriage certificate using a mobile phone -- it's not just imagination, it's for real."