Network API provider Aduna, working with AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon, is rolling out a carrier network-based authentication service in the United States as an alternative to the SMS one-time passcodes that have long served as a default second factor.
The service, Aduna’s Number Verification, confirms a user by checking a mobile number against the carrier and its association with the SIM and device in use. That is a form of possession-based authentication, which proves a person is holding the enrolled device rather than relying on a secret they know, and it is carried out in real time on the network rather than by texting a code. Aduna says earlier attempts at network verification often failed when users were on Wi-Fi or particular devices, and that the current version works across major operating systems and network types. A single integration gives a business access to verified identity signals across all three carrier networks.
The pitch rests on the weakening of SMS codes as a defense. Text messages can be intercepted, phished, or redirected through SIM-swap attacks, in which a fraudster moves a victim’s number to a new SIM, and Aduna says criminals increasingly use AI and social engineering to work around them. Carriers have been building network-based identity checks as a sturdier option: Vodafone Idea and Meta have rolled out silent mobile verification in India, and Aduna itself has been expanding the model, adding operators such as Bouygues Telecom to its network-based identity services. Aduna is a venture backed by major operators and Ericsson, and its service is built on CAMARA, an open-source project driven by the GSMA and the Linux Foundation that standardizes the interfaces developers use to reach carrier networks.
“We are entering an era where your mobile number is one of your most secure digital passports,” said Anthony Bartolo, chief executive of Aduna, arguing that authenticating users through the carrier network in real time reduces both friction and the risk of interception or account takeover. The launch follows a year in which US consumers reported a record 15.9 billion dollars in fraud losses, according to the Federal Trade Commission.
Sources: Aduna
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By the ID Tech Editorial Team
