Some visionary countries have made the leap to mobile identity or m-ID, meaning the creation of a mechanism – initiated using the eID component – for accessing online services with a high level of security thanks to mobile devices.
The pioneers included countries where market penetration of cell phones and new technology is strong such as Austria, Estonia, Finland, Norway and Turkey. It was sometimes (Austria 2003) spurred by the need for a universal form of identification, sometimes (Estonia 2007) supplementing the national card program and accelerating the development of identity and electronic signature with the success that we know. Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves recalled in Brussels on October 14, 2014 that the use of electronic signature in the country, has helped save the equivalent of one week of working time per person.
In 2014, Oman was the very first country in the middle east to complement its national electronic ID card with a mobile ID scheme. Over the last few years mobile identity (mID) has seen growing uptake by citizens thanks to its ergonomics and high level of security. The success and rapid uptake by citizens of m-Government services in all countries that have chosen to focus intensively on mobile communication devices to foster proximity and e-inclusion have demonstrated the strength of the bond of identification offered by mobile
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