Analysts Juniper Research have just published a study that suggests the use of unique mobile Identifier services could generate over $7 billion for mobile operators in 2024 – up from an expected $859 million in 2019, representing overall growth of an astounding 800%.
The idea is that provision of Identity verification through SIMs will be huge because in emerging economies with limited government ID provision will become the primary source of identity for over 3 billion people by 2024.
Mobile ID will be used heavily because they are simpler to scale than card-based identity, particularly in areas of Southeast Asia and Africa, its researchers think, where pre-existing government-issued Digital Identities are less common.
The study – DIGITAL IDENTITY: Technology Evolution, Regulatory Analysis & Forecasts 2019-2024 – also provides insights into the shape of the market across different regulatory regimes, technologies and use cases, as well as five year forecasts for the key digital identity sectors including:
- Digital Identity Apps
- Civic Digital Identity
- Mobile Biometric Technologies.
The report also predicts that other digital players will provide apps on top of a possible imminent Mobile ID global framework – with over 600 million discrete third-party identity apps using the operator-provided functions.
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However, no need to totally give up yet, ID vendors: the study says many services will still need traditional documentation to onboard users initially – and as a result, “traditional forms of identification” will not be entirely displaced by mobile forms in the near future.
“Service on-boarding is still an opportunity for fraud, despite advances in biometric technology,” says the study’s author, Juniper staffer James Moar.
“Many services require a tie back to an existing form of ID, which typically means analogue identification.
“As a result, facial recognition will become key as it can bridge the digital-physical gap more easily than other biometrics.”
