World's First Mobile Network Operator to Deploy FIDO Authentication, NTT DOCOMO Extends Its Mobile Innovation Lead With New FIDO Certified(TM) Devices and Services

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA -- (Marketwired) -- 09/29/15 -- The FIDO® (Fast IDentity Online) Alliance (https://www.fidoalliance.org/), an industry consortium launched in 2013 to revolutionize online security with open standards for simpler, stronger authentication, has today announced that board member NTT DOCOMO, INC., also Japan's market leading mobile network operator (MNO), intends to expand FIDO authentication for its country-wide network with new FIDO Certified™ devices, and by extending FIDO authentication through DOCOMO ID to carrier billing services partners. In May, NTT DOCOMO became the first MNO worldwide to enable FIDO authentication. In a rapid expansion which extends FIDO authentication to third-party mobile commerce partners and more customers throughout Japan, NTT DOCOMO has announced it will offer FIDO authentication in 10 devices, more NTT DOCOMO services, and partner services.

The password problem is a universal problem that demands a global ecosystem to effect a revolutionary solution. FIDO Alliance members commit to share technology and collaborate with one another to develop open and interoperable specifications for universal strong authentication. Open and scalable FIDO standards provide an alternative to passwords that is more secure, private and easier-to-use. FIDO standards address a range of platforms from mobile to the cloud to the emerging Internet of Things (IoT) market.

As a market leader with a clear strategic investment in the FIDO ecosystem, NTT DOCOMO joined the FIDO Alliance Board of Directors and has been contributing to development of FIDO standards and best practices. NTT DOCOMO is responsible for establishing and chairing the FIDO Deployment-at-Scale Working Group (D@SWG), which was formed to accelerate overall deployments of FIDO solutions by bringing together online service providers and device manufacturers to share lessons learned, produce case studies, and establish industry best practices for deploying FIDO authentication at Internet scale.

Today, NTT DOCOMO has enhanced their FIDO UAF product portfolio with six new FIDO Certified smart phones, and now offers customers a choice of 10 devices. The first to offer multi-modal biometric options as announced in its original FIDO deployment, NTT DOCOMO also provides biometric fingerprint touch or swipe, or iris in its newest NTT DOCOMO branded FIDO UAF smart phones from OEM manufacturers, Fujitsu, Sharp and Sony Mobile Communications:

Also announced today, NTT DOCOMO will enhance its carrier billing payment partners' services by extending FIDO authentication to third-party operators. NTT DOCOMO is committed to driving authentication standardization in order to create a world without passwords, by offering its ecosystem partners integration with their FIDO-enabled DOCOMO ID service.

"By eliminating passwords with FIDO standards, we are able to deliver a superior end-user experience that includes enhanced security features; we are very excited to extend FIDO standards in new FIDO Certified devices as well as enabling more of our services," said Seiji Maruyama, Senior Vice President, Managing Director of Product Department, NTT DOCOMO, INC. "After we became a FIDO Alliance board member in May, we began collaborating to drive and invigorate the FIDO ecosystem. Open FIDO standards facilitate expansion throughout the ecosystem for our partner OEMs to deliver many FIDO Certified devices to the marketplace."

"NTT DOCOMO and their partners continue to lead the world in mobile innovation by delivering delightful experiences to their customers through FIDO Certified fingerprint and iris authentication that is both more secure and easier to use than passwords," said Brett McDowell, executive director of the FIDO Alliance. "As with many other mobile technologies pioneered by NTT DOCOMO, I expect this is just the beginning of a trend we will soon see from other mobile network operators and device manufacturers across the globe."

The FIDO Alliance will feature two FIDO Seminars to present the model NTT DOCOMO case study and edify those anxious to deploy FIDO authentication. A Washington, D.C. seminar will be held on October 5th ; interested parties may register to attend at no charge. A Tokyo seminar is planned for November 20th; more details and registration information will be available soon at the FIDO Alliance Events site.

About The FIDO Alliance
The FIDO (Fast IDentity Online) Alliance, www.fidoalliance.org, was formed in July 2012 to address the lack of interoperability among strong authentication technologies, and remedy the problems users face with creating and remembering multiple usernames and passwords. The FIDO Alliance is changing the nature of authentication with standards for simpler, stronger authentication that define an open, scalable, interoperable set of mechanisms that reduce reliance on passwords. FIDO authentication is stronger, private, and easier to use when authenticating to online services with FIDO Certified™ products and services.

The FIDO Alliance Board of Directors includes leading global organizations: Alibaba Holdings (NYSE: BABA); American Express (NYSE: AXP); ARM Holdings plc (LSE: ARM and NASDAQ: ARMH); Bank of America Corporation (NYSE: BAC); CrucialTec (KRX: 114120); Daon; Discover Financial Services (NYSE: DFS); Egis; Google (NASDAQ: GOOG); Intel (NASDAQ: INTC); ING (NYSE: ING); Infineon Technologies AG (FSE: IFX / OTCQX: IFNNY); Lenovo (NASDAQ: LNVGY); MasterCard (NYSE: MA); Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT); Nok Nok Labs, Inc.; NTT DOCOMO, INC. (NYSE: DCM); NXP Semiconductors N.V. (NASDAQ: NXPI); Oberthur Technologies OT; PayPal (NASDAQ: EBAY); Qualcomm, Inc. (NASDAQ: QCOM); RSA®; Samsung Electronics, Ltd (KOSCOM: SECL); Synaptics (NASDAQ: SYNA); USAA ; VASCO (NASDAQ: VDSI); Visa Inc. (NYSE: V); Yubico.

Media Contact:
Suzanne Matick
for FIDO Alliance
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Source: The FIDO Alliance