Deutsche Telekom and Deutsche Bank are to establish an information security initiative for digital signature exchange between the two companies. Both firms are inviting other commercial entities to participate in the project.
As part of the initiative, the two companies are placing their corporate PKI under one roof (Bridge CA for Corporate PKIs). Whereas Deutsche Telekom procures its certificates from the TeleSec Trust Center, Deutsche Bank uses those of its associate TC Trust Center. Both companies use cryptographic software from Secude and T-TeleSec signature smart cards.
Once the EU's Digital Signature Directive has been implemented, the corporate PKI platform will support interoperable qualified signatures on a European basis, say the partners. The companies plan to develop the concept into an Internet-compatible industry standard.