A Guide to Ultimate Interoperability from mDL Wallet Perspective
Operate in BLE Central Mode
Wallets should function as the Central device in Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) interactions. Verifiers should act as Peripherals. This model aligns with how mobile devices already interact with everyday peripherals like earbuds, fitness trackers, and smartwatches ensuring compatibility with existing ecosystems and delivering predictable.
Support Negotiated NFC Handover
Wallets must implement negotiated NFC handover for proximity interactions. This establishes a secure, dynamic channel with the verifier, allowing flexible negotiation of transport protocols and consistent user experiences across different verifier implementations.
Provide QR Code Engagement
Every wallet should include QR code based device engagement as a reliable fallback. This guarantees transaction initiation even in environments where NFC may be unavailable or unreliable, ensuring universal compatibility.
Conclusion
Interoperability depends on consistency. By following these three principles BLE in Central Mode, Negotiated NFC handover, and QR code engagement wallet providers can deliver predictable, user friendly, and universally accepted mDL experiences. Establishing these practices as community standards is the clearest path toward global adoption of secure digital identity.
Madhu Goundla is the Founder & CEO of ONEPROOF, where he leads the development of a secure digital identity ecosystem spanning mobile driver’s licenses (mDLs), national IDs, and enterprise acceptance solutions. Formerly a cloud and infrastructure architect for the State of Wisconsin Department of Transportation, Madhu has driven cloud first automation and security modernization initiatives across public sector networks.