Companies pledge support for mobile security alliance

Eleven more companies joined wireless ecommerce security alliance, Radicchio, at the Cebit trade show in Hanover today.

The global initiative - established by EDS, Gemplus and Sonera's SmartTrust unit in September last year - aims to standardise security for mobile ecommerce.

The latest companies to sign up to Radicchio include wireless banking provider CMG Finance, Tantau, which launched its Wireless Internet Platform this month, and security firm Secunet AG.

At the start of this month, it was announced that eight more companies had joined the alliance, including semiconductor group Texas Instruments, secure payment firm Thyron and Japanese company Mitsui. The group now has just under 50 members.

Radicchio uses a public key infrastructure (PKI) framework to provide a secure infrastructure for mobile transactions. It aims to provide a standards-based environment for vendors to base their mobile commerce software, services and devices.

"With such a strong and diverse membership, Radicchio is already recognised as the mobile industry voice of PKI," said a Sonera SmartTrust spokesman. "Our members recognise that the industry has to work together to reap the full rewards from the mobile commerce revolution."

Members will elect a Radicchio Advisory board next month in the group's second meeting, to be held in Munich. Working groups of members are currently looking at issues such as SIM card technology, registration in worldwide PKI, and the regulatory and legal environment for digital signatures.