Since July 2012, electronic identity will be incorporated in the mobile phone SIM card. Thus, the Moldovan citizens will be authenticated in computer systems in order to use electronic services while the electronic signature will become more accessible.

For this purpose, the e-Government Center, the State Enterprise Center of Special Telecommunications and mobile operators Moldcell, Orange and Moldtelecom have signed today the agreements of intent and cooperation. The parties will cooperate with the view to implementing the service of mobile electronic identity (Mobile eID) to use modern technologies for providing electronic services. By combined efforts, the parties will contribute to achieving the objectives of the Strategic Program for Technological Modernization of Governance, promoting the implementation of public services in electronic format and their accessibility on the basis of mobile electronic identity.

The launch of Mobile e-ID is one of the activities proposed by the e-Government Center of the Republic of Moldova for 2012. According to the Director of the Center, Elena Mocan, “another four electronic services will be launched this year: online application for criminal records, online-license, electronic reporting to the National Social Insurance House and online application for construction documents.”

“It's a key moment: we are launching an enabler which will allow for the development of electronic services via Mobile e-ID, through customer identification and electronic signature confirmation via mobile phone. We hope that services will be as varied as possible, thus, making the everyday life of a citizen easier”, Ludmila Climoc, General Director of Orange company stated.

“It’s been more than half a year since we have been working on this project and a great effort has been made by the Government to bring all operators under the same platform. Finally, citizens will benefit, because today they get a lot of documents standing in queues. Everything will be easier and available, from mobile phones to reasonable prices. And if to enumerate the list of services, this would include a lot of certificates, bank signatures, and, why not, participation in elections, electronic voting”, Chiril Gaburici, General Director of Moldcell stated.

In order to obtain electronic identity and apply digital signature, Moldovan citizens have to pay 880 MDL for now. Once electronic identity is applied on mobile phone SIM card, the cost of service will significantly reduce and accessibility will increase.

The mechanism for implementing the new electronic platform will allow proving the citizens’ identity in cyberspace, authenticating for public services as well as applying the digital signature, by using the mobile phone. Those legally binding digital certificates, which in case of electronic identity are currently embedded only on smart cards, will be already stored on SIM cards of mobile phones. This will close the gaps related to the current use of electronic identity.