Australian Payments Plus (AP+) and Telstra have partnered to offer identity verification via ConnectID® to customers activating selected Telstra mobile services.
ConnectID lets customers verify their identity online without having to share personal documents.
ConnectID connects organisations that need to verify people's identity, like Telstra, with existing trusted sources of that information, such as a bank.
Australian banks CBA, NAB, ANZ (through ANZ Plus) and Westpac are now live with ConnectID, which means millions of people in Australia can use their bank to securely and conveniently verify their identity. Instead of uploading a passport or driver licence, people can simply use ConnectID to verify key information like name, age and address for interactions online. As the network provider, ConnectID does not see or store the identity data, it simply acts as a secure verification bridge between the two parties.
It represents a simple step that can speed up the activation process of selected Telstra mobile services and reduce the amount of personal data people are required to share.
Lynn Kraus, Chief Executive Officer AP+ said, "We are delighted to work with Telstra to bring ConnectID to its customers. In the digital economy there is a vital need to build trust between people and the organisations they interact with. When a major organisation like Telstra enables customer verification without asking for documents to be uploaded, that's a big step forward."
Telstra has initially enabled ConnectID for customers activating selected mobile services. Since introducing the new functionality late last year, tens of thousands of customers have used ConnectID.
Michael Griffiths, Executive Director, Operations, Telstra said introducing ConnectID to new selected mobile services represents major progress in making identity verification more seamless and less time-consuming.
"Identity verification is a crucial step; however we know it can be a bit of a hassle for our customers and isn't always a streamlined experience,"
"By simplifying the process and removing the need to collect and retain original ID documents, ConnectID is a more secure option, and another way we're helping to protect our customers."
Available now to all customers seeking selected new mobile services with Telstra, who bank with a participating financial institution. Telstra and Australian Payments Plus are exploring opportunities to expand the roll out to other services.
