OMTP, the mobile operator-led organization, has announced what it says is its most detailed set of recommendations to date, which it says will set the baseline for hardware security in mobile devices for the next five to 10 years.
The OMTP recommendations are published in the document: Advanced Trusted Environment, which focuses on the full set of hardware security requirements which will enable new services to be run with confidence.
Available now from the OMTP website, the document discusses security recommendations that, if implemented, will enable a device to provide better protection for new mobile payment solutions and services, such as pay-per view TV, and ensure that security in mobile phones remains one step ahead of exploitation by hackers.
The document comes at a time when analysts are predicting that mobile payments and banking will soar. A report, Mobile Financial Services: Banking & payment markets 2007-2011, from analyst Juniper Research, concludes that a rise in mobile transactions will result in just over 612 million mobile phone users generating over $587 billion (295 billion) worth of financial transactions between 2007-2011.
OMTP says that the implementation of the recommendations in the Advanced Trusted Environment document will enable mobile services to be securely deployed to customers, and takes a big step forward in protecting the customer and service provider from possible hacking attacks and fraud.
OMTP participants, including Trango Virtual Processors and VirtualLogix, have already stated conformance to the new recommendations through the OMTP Product Profile process. Any company, regardless of whether they are a member of OMTP, can make a product profile statement which indicates their compliance to the OMTP recommendations. For more information on this, click here.
All OMTPs recommendation documents aim to protect the customer and the mobile operator, says OMTP Managing Director, Tim Raby. The new Advanced Trusted Environment recommendations form the secure backbone for forthcoming mobile applications, particularly those that focus on handling sensitive data. With m-commerce predicted to explode, operators need to ensure that their subscribers are invisibly protected against potential security threats, so that their mobile transactions can be dealt with in confidence.”