T-Mobile Selects SafeBSF from SafeNet for Mobile TV Platform

SafeBSF Manages User Rights, Ensures Profitability, Saves Mobile Operator Costs via Existing Authentication Infrastructure

BALTIMORE, Maryland (IBC – Amsterdam, Netherlands) — SafeNet, Inc., the global leader in information security, today announced that after extensive testing, T-Mobile Czech Republic, the leading mobile phone carrier in the country, has selected SafeNet’s SafeBSF SIM-based authentication for its DVB-H mobile TV trial platform.

SafeBSF authenticates users that may be accessing a multimedia application, including mobile TV, using the Generic Bootstrapping Architecture (GBA) standard from the 3GPP. By using SafeBSF, T-Mobile can be confident that only authenticated users with access rights to their mobile services are able to access the content. SafeBSF also provides a general-purpose authentication infrastructure which can be used for multiple services including mobile TV, mobile payments and many others.

SafeNet integrated a complete bundle of GBA components into T-Mobile’s mobile TV trial platform and successfully performed its portion of the end-to-end testing. The objective of the test platform was to evaluate the functionality and maturity of the mobile TV technology prior to the expected commercial service launch.

“When preparing our test system for launch SafeNet significantly reduced development cost and time to market by delivering a device/user authentication solution that plugs directly into a mobile operator’s legacy HLR, leveraging components of the existing mobile infrastructure,” said Petr Kirchner, mobile TV architect, T-Mobile Czech Republic.

“T-Mobile recognizes user authentication and rights management components are critical to development and deployment of any lucrative mobile service, including mobile TV,” said Dr. Simon Blake-Wilson, managing director, Embedded Security Solutions, SafeNet. “The integration of SafeBSF enables T-Mobile to bring competitive, high-value mobile features and services to market quickly.”

SafeBSF performs mutual authentication of consumers–via their SIM card–and the operator network during service access initiation. It consists of a complete bundle of GBA components including a BSF, HSS/HLR Proxy, and a Zn proxy.

Customers can significantly reduce development cost and time to market using SafeBSF. It plugs directly into an existing HLR (or provide a stand-alone HSS), thereby allowing mobile network operators to leverage their existing authentication infrastructure.