Deutsche Telekom and Swedish ID specialist, Scytáles, are enhancing the EU’s digital security through a personal digital identity wallet for mobile devices. The two companies have been commissioned by the European Commission to develop age verification features, ensuring a safer and more secure online experience.
Currently, users rely on usernames and passwords to access apps, online portals, and e-commerce platforms, with service providers controlling this data. The European Union (EU) aims to shift control back to individuals by implementing the EU Digital Identity Wallet (EUDIW) by 2026. This digital wallet will allow users to store official documents and identity credentials on their smartphones, effectively creating a digital twin of their electronic ID.
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Key Applications
One of its key applications will be expediting border checks within the Schengen area. The initiative is part of the EIDAS Regulation, which mandates all EU member states to issue and recognize the EUDIW.
The digital wallet will also enhance online security, particularly for age-restricted purchases. E-commerce platforms will communicate directly with the wallet to verify a customer’s age without disclosing unnecessary personal information.
Scytáles CEO, Konstantin Papaxanthis, said, “Ensuring the safety, security, and privacy of minors is a top priority in the Commission’s Better Internet for Kids (BIK+) strategy. Being the technology provider for the EUDI Wallet positions us as the ideal partner for creating a solution that meets all the high standards required for the EU-wide age verification.”
Germany at the Forefront
As a key partner in the EU’s digital identity rollout, Deutsche Telekom is participating in field tests across Germany, France, Austria, Poland, the Netherlands, Greece, and Ukraine. These tests include mobile SIM card activation using digital identity verification.
Ferri Abolhassan, CEO of T-Systems and member of the Board of Management of Deutsche Telekom AG, stated, “With secure identities, we are giving EU citizens back their lost digital sovereignty. People who order sneakers online often don’t know what the web store is doing with their user data. The technology confirms that someone really is who they say they are. Logging in without passwords for online citizen services, banking transactions, or travel [will be] simple and secure. In Germany, we are already providing successful secure healthcare services in this way.”
Germany is already utilizing digital identity solutions. More than half of statutory health insurance holders will receive digital IDs through Deutsche Telekom’s T-Systems division, which has secured contracts with AOK and Barmer. Under the Digital Care and Nursing Modernization Act (DVPMG), health insurers must implement secure digital identities to complement existing verification methods, such as electronic health cards (eGK).
