Work item:
Y.diwi-reqts
Subject/title:
Requirements of digital identity wallet interoperability for smart city services
Status:
Under study
Approval process:
AAP
Type of work item:
Recommendation
Version:
New
Equivalent number:
-
Timing:
2027-Q4 (Medium priority)
Liaison:
ITU-T SG17
Supporting members:
Korea (Rep. of), ETRI, Daejeon University
Summary:
A smart city platform (SCP), as defined by ITU-T SG20, provides core infrastructure for integrating services across domains such as transport, healthcare, and public administration. Each domain is operated by service providers (SPs) acting as relying parties (RPs), with their own credential formats, trust anchors, and policy requirements. These differences make it difficult to achieve consistent and seamless identity integration across services. As a result, users must present different credentials for each service, leading to fragmented experiences and repeated authentication. Cities also face the burden of developing costly and complex integration frameworks.
To address this, a digital identity wallet system (DIWS) acts as a resolver that analyzes service context, aligns credentials with SP requirements, and transforms them accordingly. However, verifying the authenticity of credentials and the validity of SPs remains a key concern. This is why interoperability with the SCP is essential. By referencing SCP-managed trust lists for issuers and SPs, the DIWS can validate credentials and authorize service requests.
Together, the DIWS and SCP enable a trusted and interoperable identity framework, reducing redundancy, streamlining authentication, and improving the overall user experience.
Comment:
-
Historic references: