South Korean Carrier SKT Launches Blockchain-powered Certification App

The South Korean mobile carrier SK Telecom (SKT) has announced the launch of a blockchain-powered ID and authentication certificates service.

According to Gvalley News, SK Telecom, part of the SK business conglomerate and one of the two biggest mobile carriers and internet providers in the nation, the service – an app named Initial – will be interoperable with the Ministry of Security and Public Administration’s own electronic document wallet service.

Seoul has been keen to accelerate the rollout of paper- and contact-free digital alternatives to authentication-reliant processes, and has backed a range of companies exploring decentralized ID (DID) technology.

The carrier has almost 29 million customers, including around 2.5 million 5G subscribers.

And SKT claimed that its Initial app will allows users to “issue, store, and submit a range of certificates on their smartphones “using blockchain and DID (Decentralized ID) ​​technology,” which it claims will provide “excellent security” to prevent “forgery and tampering.”

The firm claims that Initial will be compatible with medical certificates, business registration, social security cards, immigration documents and single-parent family certification – factors that could, in theory, allow individuals to register a business directly from their mobile phones.

SKT has been working with a number of government organs on blockchain-related solutions for the past few years. In 2019, it announced the launch of an enterprise blockchain platform with consortium partners, and has been working on Initial DID-related developments with government tech agencies, commercial banks, smartphone makers and other South Korean carriers.
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