If you have ever waited for an SMS code that never arrived, or worried that someone could copy your identity on a social platform, CelcomDigi is testing a different way to prove you are really you. The telco has started using its mobile network itself to help verify users for some of the world's largest social media platforms.
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Kai T chevron_right
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What CelcomDigi is doing
CelcomDigi is the first telco in Malaysia to work with IPification, a company that specialises in network-based authentication and mobile identity. Together they let a platform confirm that a mobile number genuinely belongs to the person using it, without leaning only on SMS one-time passwords (OTP).
The service runs through CelcomDigi's API-as-a-Service offering, so social platforms can plug it into the moments that matter most: signing up, logging in, and recovering an account. The aim is to make those steps quicker and harder to fake. CelcomDigi announced the move on World AI Day, tying it to the wider push for trusted identity checks as AI spreads through everyday apps.
Why it matters for you
Social platforms are dealing with fake accounts, impersonation, account takeovers and scams, problems that hit ordinary users as much as the platforms themselves. A network-level check adds a layer that is hard for fraudsters to copy, because it draws on signals from the mobile network rather than a code that can be intercepted or phished.
CelcomDigi points to several situations where this could help:
- Smoother sign-up and account creation
- Protection against fake and duplicate accounts
- Stronger defence against account takeovers and identity fraud
- More trusted AI-powered moderation and fraud detection
- Better everyday safety for people across online platforms
Part of a bigger network play
The verification service builds on CelcomDigi's growing set of trusted network APIs, which already include phone number verification offered through Google's Firebase. In practice, the operator is turning parts of its network into tools that other companies can build on, a shift it frames as moving beyond basic connectivity.
T. Kugan, CelcomDigi's Chief Innovation Officer, described the effort as turning the company's network into "programmable digital infrastructure" that creates value beyond connectivity. IPification's chief executive, Stefan Kostic, called the tie-up his company's first telco partnership in Malaysia and a milestone for network-based authentication in the market.
The takeaway
For Malaysian users, the practical promise is fewer fake accounts to deal with and a login step that does not hinge on a fragile SMS code. CelcomDigi, which says it serves more than 20.4 million users, is betting that its network can quietly become part of how online platforms check who is real.