The platform, powered by the carriers' networks, works by delivering a cryptographically verified phone number and profile data to authorized applications with the user's consent. Then it takes into account a whole bunch of other authenticating factors, such as a network verified number, IP address, SIM card attributes and phone account type, to make sure purchases and data usage is legit.

Advanced analytics and machine learning is also slated for the platform, so it can assess risk while understanding users' unique habits. The task force is going to start trialling the platform in the coming weeks, and says it will launch a website later this year for interested service providers. If it works as well as they say it will, it could be a good signifier of trust for mobile apps, as registered developers will be able to leverage the platform only after submitting requests through a system that uses private blockchain technology.