Eddie DeCurtis didn’t grow up watching The Sopranos—he lived it. His father and uncle were real-life made men. His childhood wasn’t filled with bedtime stories but with stories of business deals involving football betting slips and blackmail schemes. Eddie grew up around a world most people only read about in books or in FBI files.

But the lesson wasn’t to follow in those footsteps. His father was clear: get educated, pay your taxes, follow the law. Be honest. Do the right thing. And fear no one.

Eddie took that seriously. He went from running one of the world’s largest aggregators to building platforms that power silent network authentication, fraud detection, and monetization across global mobile networks. 

Eddie is direct, grounded, and allergic to spin and calls things for what they are. Today, he leads Shush, a platform that delivers carrier-grade authentication to MNO without friction, complexity, or excuses. In this edition, he shares his unvarnished view on the future of One Time Passwords (OTP). 

About The Series

This is the twenty-third installment in the “One Expert, One Topic” series, where field experts select a topic and share essential insights using Matt Abrahams’ What/So-What/Now-What format. Presented in written form, it allows you more time to absorb the topic and guides you on where to go for further learning. We are grateful to our contributors for sharing their wisdom in this format.

What

The conversation centers on silent network authentication (SNA)—a frictionless, SIM-based method for verifying identity without relying on insecure or outdated techniques like SMS-based OTPs.

Eddie’s team has built a full-stack platform that allows banks, fintechs, and applications to authenticate users silently through phone number-to-IP matching, SIM verification, and now TS 43 EAP-AKA—a new form of authentication so strong, it works across all networks (Wi-Fi, 5G, satellite) and cannot be spoofed. Sherlock, the platform, acts like an entitlement server where needed, enabling legacy operators to plug into this model without upgrading to newer specs.

It’s about making real authentication work at scale—and making sure carriers can actually get paid for it.

So What

The shift away from SMS-based OTPs is already happening. Elon Musk accelerated it, and now major fintechs and tech platforms are looking for something cheaper, more secure, and invisible to the user.

But for carriers, there’s a risk: they’re about to lose that revenue unless they offer a better path forward. Eddie’s pitch is simple: replace OTP with something cheaper, faster, and stickier. Silent auth brings customers in for one use case, and they stay for others—SIM swap, device status, KYC, and more. Suddenly, you’re not making 10 cents per OTP. You’re making 20+ cents on bundled services, and doing it at scale.

He’s not interested in vague promises or half-baked frameworks. Sherlock already supports 47 APIs, is GSMA-certified on the six that matter, and can be deployed without the need for massive OEM upgrades. The monetization is built in.

And unlike others, Eddie’s not selling abstract “network-as-a-service” fluff. He’s focused on where the money is: fraud prevention and trust.

Now What

For operators: this is the moment to move. OTP revenue is fading. Fraud APIs are where the money is. But only if the tools exist, the integrations work, and the business model is clear.

Sherlock is live, tested, and built for scale. It lets networks authenticate securely and monetize cleanly, without overhauling systems or relying on outside aggregators to take a cut.

For anyone in messaging, telecom, or network infrastructure, Eddie’s take is worth paying attention to—especially if you’re tired of strategy sessions filled with jargon and no real revenue plan.

You can find Eddie on LinkedIn or check out his “Fact or Fiction” video breaks down what’s real and what’s just talk in network authentication.

Because in his view, this isn’t about theories. It’s about building something that actually works—and calling out what doesn’t.