Get the latest announcements from MEF Members across the mobile ecosystem globally in this weekly review of member news…
XConnect Announces Strategic Acquisition of Sekura.id, to Revolutionise Mobile Identity Solutions
XConnect, a Somos Company, has acquired the business of Sekura.id, a global leader in mobile identity, authentication, and fraud prevention services. This acquisition combines XConnect’s expertise in numbering intelligence with Sekura.id’s mobile ID verification innovations. By integrating Sekura.id’s mobile subscriber information and authentication APIs, XConnect will enhance its risk and identity services, offering solutions like KYC and Number Verify. The acquisition also provides Sekura.id with expanded global resources, enabling new services while strengthening fraud prevention solutions for XConnect’s telecom and enterprise customers.
“This is an exciting milestone for XConnect as we welcome Sekura.id to the XConnect family. In a short period of time, a small, dedicated team has built a strong reputation, gained significant industry recognition and engagement, along with an impressive customer base,” said Eli Katz, Founder and CEO at XConnect. “Together we will redefine the mobile identity landscape. Over the years, I have talked about XConnect’s DNA and our relentless drive to reduce fraud, restore trust and deliver trusted network and subscriber information. The acquisition of Sekura.id is aligned with this mission and strengthens our position as a leader in fraud and risk mitigation solutions to our customers for their enterprise solutions in the e-commerce, banking, fintech and digital enablement sectors.”
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iBASIS and Team Visma | Lease a Bike Strengthen Partnership for Global Cycling Connectivity
iBASIS has extended its partnership with Team Visma | Lease a Bike, continuing to provide advanced IoT connectivity solutions for the elite cycling team. Now in its fourth season, the collaboration supports the team across 72 races in 20 countries, ensuring seamless data uploads, logistics coordination, and digital access on the road. iBASIS’ secure and high-performance connectivity enhances the team’s operational efficiency before, during, and after every race.
“Our four-year partnership with iBASIS has proven to be both trusted and adaptable, and we’ve experienced a 30% improvement in network reliability. Unlike traditional providers, they offer the flexibility and network expertise we need to stay connected across Europe and beyond, with 100% race coverage access and no streaming restrictions,” said Wesley de Veer, ICT Lead at Team Visma | Lease a Bike. “Their ability to route traffic intelligently and adapt to our evolving requirements has made them an integral part of our operational setup, helping ensure our entire team stays connected and aligned throughout the race season.”
“We’ve delivered seamless, flexible connectivity designed to meet the demands of world-class cycling,” said Joachim de Wild, VP of Global Sales and Business Development at iBASIS. “Our IoT solution supports their operations before, during, and after each race—helping ensure performance, coordination, and efficiency at every stage.”
OTP Banka Serbia Integrates IPification 1-Click Phone Number Verification for Frictionless Sign-Ups
OTP Banka, one of Serbia’s leading banks, has integrated IPification’s 1-click Phone Number Verification solution to enhance its digital banking experience. This integration enables OTP Banka customers to verify their phone numbers instantly with a single click, streamlining user onboarding and improving security. As part of the OTP Group, the bank continues to focus on innovation and digital transformation. By leveraging mobile network-based authentication, IPification assigns users a unique Mobile ID Key, ensuring fast and secure verification.
“We are excited to partner with OTP Banka and bring our advanced 1-click Phone Number Verification solution to their customers. OTP Banka’s strong focus on innovation and enhancing the user experience aligns perfectly with our mission to provide secure, seamless, and efficient mobile authentication. Their commitment to digital transformation and improving mobile banking services is truly impressive, and we’re proud to support them in refining their onboarding process and elevating their customers’ security and experience,” said Stefan Kostić, IPification CEO.
Infobip research reveals fivefold adoption of RCS in 2024
Infobip’s latest Messaging Trends Report highlights the rapid adoption of Rich Communication Services (RCS) messaging, significantly reshaping customer interactions. Analyzing over 530 billion business-to-consumer interactions in 2024, the report attributes a fivefold global increase in RCS traffic to Apple’s iOS 18 update, with North America experiencing a 14x surge. Businesses worldwide are increasingly integrating RCS with SMS to enhance engagement and create seamless, two-way customer interactions, resulting in a 500% year-on-year rise in RCS usage.
RCS is taking off because it works. The branded and verified experience reduces hesitation, while rich visuals capture attention and drive engagement. In A/B tests, RCS rich cards delivered up to 70% higher conversion rates than MMS. More significantly, RCS has driven conversion rates two to three times higher, and sometimes even ten times higher, than standard marketing channels.” Ivan Ostojić, Chief Business Officer at Infobip
Bharti Airtel and Nokia expand core network collaboration to speed-up new 5G service delivery
Nokia and Bharti Airtel are strengthening their partnership by deploying Nokia’s Packet Core appliance-based and Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) solutions to enhance Airtel’s 4G and 5G network experience. The integration will streamline 4G and 5G technologies into a unified infrastructure, improving broadband capacity for homes and enterprises. Airtel will leverage Nokia’s automation framework for zero-touch service deployment, accelerating new service rollouts while cutting operational costs. With Nokia’s converged Packet Core solution, Airtel aims to advance its 5G standalone (SA) readiness, simplify network architecture, and optimize costs by using appliance-based Packet Core gateways within a cloud-native framework.
“Nokia’s innovative Packet Core deployment architecture enables critical changes to our network quality and reliability for meeting the fast-rising growth in customer data requirements,” said Airtel CTO, Randeep Sekhon. “This rollout further demonstrates our longstanding success in jointly collaborating to strengthen the overall Airtel customer experience.”
“Nokia and Airtel have a long-standing partnership and we are pleased to bolster its 5G SA readiness,” said Raghav Sahgal, President of Cloud and Network Services at Nokia. “Airtel’s use of Nokia’s Packet Core to build greater network agility and reliability demonstrates how we are both helping customers solve problems and furthering Nokia’s leadership position in the Core space in India and around the world.”
