FIDO Alliance Pushes PNV and eSIM Passkeys Beyond SMS OTP

SMS one-time passwords remain widely used to verify phone numbers for cloud services and digital accounts, but they are vulnerable to phishing, interception and account takeover. The FIDO Alliance, working with technology companies including Google and Meta as well as mobile network operators, is pursuing stronger authentication methods that can confirm a user’s number and device without relying on a code delivered by text message.

The emerging approaches center on Phone Number Verification, or PNV, and eSIM Passkey technology. PNV uses information available to telecom networks to verify a phone number and device silently in the background, while the eSIM-based approach seeks to strengthen identity checks through Passkey credentials. The companies and carriers are working on ecosystem integration, though the report disclosed no launch date, deployment target or investment figure.