In the filing made to the European Commission’s competition division, the document described the new the joint venture as "a privacy-led, digital identification solution to support the digital marketing and advertising activities of brands and publishers".
Use of the service will be "subject to explicit user consent … (on an opt-in basis only)" and the JV will "generate a secure, pseudonymized token derived from a hashed/encrypted pseudonymous internal identity linked to a user’s network subscription which will be provided by participating network operators".
The news follows the trials of TrustPid, a technology described as a “cross-operator infrastructure for digital advertising and digital marketing”, in Germany in 2022. It is essentially a new identification system for advertising. Through the TrustPid token, which identifies users of mobile operators, when mobile customers browse the internet, it shows them personalised adverts.
At the time, telcos including Vodafone and Deutsche Telekom were testing the technology locally along with German publisher Bild/Springer. Later that year it was reported that the trials had spread to Spain with telcos Movistar and Orange, also taking part on the testing of the TrustPid 'supercookie'.
The Commission has until February 10 to reach a decision on the proposed JV and, therefore, whether or the carriers can go ahead with a commercial launch.
This isn't the first collaboration between the four telcos, September saw Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Telefónica and Vodafone, together with the deep tech company MATSUKO, carry out a pilot for holographic calls.
The aim of the trials was to make holographic call as simple as making a conventional phone call by interconnecting their deployments so that customers can join a common holographic communication session.
