MWC26 Barcelona Mobile Identity Summit - Mobile Identity

Thursday March 26, 2026

MWC26 Barcelona Mobile Identity Summit

Person with shoulder-length dark hair gives a talk on stage, standing near a red screen with blurred text.

MWC26 Barcelona Mobile Identity Summit

Strengthening digital trust through mobile identity

Mobile Identity And Data

At MWC Barcelona 2026, the Mobile Identity Summit brought together leaders from mobile network operators, technology providers, financial institutions and digital identity specialists to explore how mobile is becoming a cornerstone of secure digital interactions.

As online services expand and cyber threats become more sophisticated, the industry is increasingly looking to mobile-based identity solutions to strengthen authentication, protect users and enable trusted digital services.

Across two focused sessions, speakers shared practical insights and real-world examples of how mobile identity is evolving, from network-based authentication and fraud prevention to trusted communications and enterprise identity verification.

Missed it? You can watch the sessions on demand.

Key themes from the summit

Session 1: Trust Built In: Enhancing Identity with Mobile Networks

With growing demand for security and seamlessness throughout the customer lifecycle, mobile identity verifies users to transform digital engagement. The mobile industry is opening up previously untapped capabilities embedded in mobile networks, providing enterprises with new opportunities for digital transformation through improved authentication and fraud detection.

Reimagining Digital Trust

During his keynote address, Kunal Shukla reminded the audience of the severity of the fraud landscape – noting that ‘if cybercrime was a country it would have the 3rd largest GDP‘ worldwide. He then described how Vonage leverages Network-Powered Solutions for next-gen mobile identity and fraud protection, sharing the business improvements seen by Silent Authentication customers across e-commerce, banking and urban mobility.

Speaker: Kunal Shukla, Vonage
Presentation

Advancing Mobile Identity Through Field Learnings

Isaac Bess then shared TikTok learnings from their Number Verification field tests. TikTok are now moving from pilots to production, to ensure security by design, frictionless user experience and scalability.

Speaker: Isaac Bess, TikTok
Presentation

A panel discussion brought together:

Viktorija Radman, Director of Supply and Carrier Partnership, Aduna Global
Rahul Vatts, Chief Regulatory Officer, Airtel
Ageu Dantas, Head of Data Monetization and Messaging, Claro Brazil
Christiaan Brand, Director of Product Management – Identity and Security, Google
Vanessa Thompson, Vice President of Revenue and Growth Marketing, Twilio

Featuring a demo of Android public preview of Phone Number Verification, the panel discussed demand from enterprises and government for authentication beyond SMS OTP. The direction of travel was made clear, with major operator networks enabling SIM-based number verification in 2026 in response to market needs.

Session 2: Identity in Users’ Hands: Mobile as the Trust Platform

At the heart of digital trust are end-users, who expect robust protection for their interactions with organisations and increasingly take an active role in confirming their identity. As spoofed calls and impersonation scams fuel a crisis of trust in voice communication, businesses are challenged to reconnect with customers and protect their reputation. Globally, digital identity is increasingly being placed directly in the hands of users through solutions like identity wallets and mobile identity.

Restoring Trust in Every Interaction

Identity is key to TransUnion business and Jonjie Sena explained how ‘trust is built when identity is known end to end‘, from company through channel to consumer, and the need to enable trusted conversations, not single channels.

Speaker: Jonjie Sena, TransUnion
Presentation

Identity Infrastructure for Enterprise Communications

Kyra John shared practical considerations on the challenges around verifying business identities at scale. She presented Persona’s perspective on the need for communication companies to build enterprise identity verification as foundational infrastructure.

Speaker: Kyra John, Persona
Presentation

Telco-driven Token Economy Powered by dMID

In the last keynote of the Summit, Jason Ho stated that telcos can own the future of digital identity and introduced Taisys dMID platform, which leverages the eSIM to combine
de-identified Mobile ID, Passkey verification and identity wallet capabilities.

Speaker: Jason Ho, Taisys Technologies
Presentation

The closing panel discussion brought together:

Andrzej Ochocki, Head of Identity Management, Deutsche Telecom AG
Rebekah Johnson, Founder and CEO, Numeracle
Abhishek Saxena, Managing Director, Taisys Technologies
Glyn Povah, Product Director – Digital Identity, Telefónica Tech
Jason Torrey, Vice President of Business Development, TransUnion

The closing panel discussion explored the shift toward user‑centric digital trust models and how to bridge the response to immediate fraud and impersonation challenges with long‑term innovation. It spotlighted two GSMA Foundry Proof of Concept projects: Trusted Caller Identity and Open Verifiable Communications.
The panel discussed the articulation between these innovative approaches and today’s solutions including branded calling and network APIs.

Photo gallery

A woman speaks on stage in front of an "MWC26" sign, with empty chairs and an audience visible.

A speaker presents on stage at MWC26 with a cybercrime cost slide displayed on a large screen behind him.

Sponsors

Thank you to our sponsors: TAYSYS, TransUnion, persona, and Vonage, with a woman smiling at her phone.

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