Trust built on passwords and prompts can’t hold the line anymore. Not only is multifactor authentication (MFA) breachable, it’s also so intrusive that it’s been called tyrannical. People simply don’t want to jump through security hurdles to prove who they are.
But balancing safety and usability becomes harder as AI makes attacks more convincing. How do you stay secure while keeping the experience frictionless?
Digital trust is under pressure from both sides. AI-driven fraud is accelerating, while user tolerance for friction is rapidly declining. Customers expect security to be invisible, instant, and universal — not something they need to actively manage.
As a result, identity verification can no longer rely solely on user behaviour or app-level controls. Trust is moving deeper, into the mobile network layer — where telcos are uniquely positioned to lead the next era of digital identity.
Telcos have the infrastructure to help you verify your customer’s identity invisibly. Because they operate at the network level and don’t rely on frontend access, they can see which SIM or device is active, where it is, and how it is behaving — all without involving the user.
This is a design flaw, not just a tooling issue. Passwords can be stolen. SMS OTPs can be intercepted or socially engineered. Push prompts can be approved by users who believe they’re acting legitimately. That means a single successful check can grant attackers full, ongoing access.
Modern security must be continuous and invisible — constantly and silently re-evaluating whether the user is still who they say they are throughout the session lifecycle, without forcing them to wait for or type SMS codes.
Network-based authentication does exactly that.
This model aligns naturally with zero-trust principles. Trust is never assumed. Instead, it is continuously re-evaluated using signals that are independent of user behaviour and difficult to forge.
Silent by design, it runs in the background, passively verifying identity using network-level signals (such as SIM data and location) with no action required from the user. It’s also 10× faster than SMS OTP and completes in about three seconds. Plus, because it doesn’t rely on an app or biometric hardware, it’s accessible even on older feature phones, which more than a billion people still use today.
No other industry is better equipped to make silent, continuous authentication work globally than telecom. Because they manage SIMs and mobile connections directly, they can verify identity even on basic devices or in regions with limited internet access.
Because verification happens through network triggers rather than app workflows, authentication can be completed in seconds — far faster than traditional SMS-based flows.
This model works across all devices, including feature phones, making it inherently inclusive and globally scalable.
Telco verification methods are also more secure and reliable. Unlike app-based authentication that is easy to spoof or bypass, telco-level signals are tied to the network, making them much harder to fake.
Telcos already operate the infrastructure required to make seamless authentication work at a global scale. The trust layer is already there.
JT has collaborated with leading security intelligence company, Honey Badger, to build Silent Authentication+.
JT provides the telco-grade infrastructure, global network reach, and SIM-level verification. Honey Badger adds the intelligence layer - analysing network, SIM, roaming, device, and fraud-risk signals in real time.
Together, we’ve created a system that verifies identity without asking users for passwords or codes.
Silent Authentication+ uses trusted, telco-grade cryptography. It relies on the same systems mobile networks already use to verify SIM-based activity, like calls and data sessions, making it inherently more secure than typical app-based methods. Here’s why it’s so effective:
● Removes common points of failure: There are no passwords to steal or codes to intercept, and no prompts that users can be tricked into approving.
● Easy for service providers to implement: The system works through a simple API and supports all major platforms (Android, iOS, and web).
● Fast, silent, and secure: Continuous verification and built-in fraud detection make it well-suited for high-trust scenarios such as banking and healthcare.
Authentication is becoming something users shouldn’t have to think about. In an AI-driven threat landscape, trust must be silent, continuous, and anchored in the network itself.
Telcos are becoming the foundation of digital trust. With Silent Authentication+, JT and Honey Badger are already enabling this shift today.
To learn how Silent Authentication+ can fit into your own environment, get in touch with the JT Mobile Intelligence team.