Air2Web, the leading wireless platform provider, Monday announced that release 4.0 of the Air2Web Mobile Internet Platform will be supported by wireless digital certificate technology and payment services from VeriSign Inc., the leading provider of digital trust services.
Scheduled for release in November, release 4.0 will be one of the first wireless platforms to provide sufficient security to perform high-dollar transactions such as stock trades, account transfers and m-commerce from wireless devices.
Air2Web will also be launching the first secure wireless e-mail application for Lotus Domino and Microsoft Exchange as part of Mobile Email Platform, a new offering also available in November.
The Mobile Email Platform will include real-time access to e-mail, calendars, contact data and attachments, as well as the ability to securely authenticate the device and user prior to giving wireless access to their e-mail account.
By ensuring that both the wireless device and the user of that device are strongly authenticated and that the transaction process is secure, Air2Web and VeriSign mitigate concerns about the safety of wireless commerce and access to sensitive corporate data from mobile devices.
With the integration of digital certificate services into the Mobile Internet and the Mobile Email Platforms, the wireless transaction is documented to ensure non-repudiation. These records provide an audit trail proving that the user authorized the transaction and that the transaction took place at a specified time and for a specified value.
Support for wireless certificates will be provided for any personal digital assistant (PDA) that supports a PKI-enabled browser such as the Neomar browser that operates on Palm OS, RIM and PocketPC devices and digital phones, which support PKI certificates.
Phones expected to be available and supported include: Ericsson R520, T39; Nokia 6310 (available in Europe and Asia); and Siemens S45; among others.
The wireless certification process would work as follows for a wireless investment application:
-- User receives alert that stock price has reached his/her
"sell" limit
-- User initiates transaction to sell stock using wireless device
-- When accessing the transaction, application searches for
presence of certificate to authenticate device
-- If certificate is available and authenticated, application
requests PIN to authenticate user
-- When PIN is authenticated, transaction is authorized
-- A record of the transaction is made and stored so that user or
financial institution can prove that the transaction took
place
"The ability to strongly secure wireless transactions will encourage wireless users to direct funds, access corporate intranets and authenticate e-mail with their mobile devices," said Sanjoy Malik, president and chief executive officer of Air2Web.
"We've already seen the growth of Internet-based e-commerce due to the security provided by digital certificate technology, and I believe we will see that same trend with mobile commerce and other mobile transactions. Air2Web couldn't have chosen a better partner than VeriSign to ensure that future financial and proprietary wireless transactions are secure from beginning to end."
Secure Wireless Payment Services
By integrating VeriSign's Payment services into the Air2Web platform, end-users will have the ability to pay for items using a wireless device. Payment can be made at point of purchase and be billed to a Web-based account or to a cellular phone bill.
VeriSign's Wireless Payment Services leverage a highly scalable and reliable Internet payment platform and connect into every major payment network, providing the ability to process a wide variety of payment types, including credit, debit and purchase cards, Internet checks, and automated clearing house (ACH) transactions over mobile networks.
Easy-to-Use Wireless Web Navigation: WebNum(TM) Service
Additionally, the Mobile Internet Platform will be able to use VeriSign's WebNum(TM) shortcuts to allow wireless users to easily reach wireless content either on a global or national basis. WebNum(TM) Shortcuts replace the need to enter in alphanumeric URLs that are difficult to enter on mobile devices.
This will greatly simplify the Web-browsing features of wireless applications and substantially improve ease of use. For example, www.ups.com/wireless could be abbreviated to 877 - (8=U, 7=P, 7=S).
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