Airtel and Vodafone offering Aadhar based e-KYC solutions

Indian telecom operators Airtel and Vodafone are offering Aadhar-based e-KYC (know your customer) solutions to their customers, according to a report by TeleAnalysis.

Airtel currently has the system in place with e-KYC solutions being offered at its multiple stores throughout Delhi and NCR, while Vodafone will launch the system on August 24.

“The solution is live in company operated stores across Delhi NCR and the company plans to roll out the solution across the country over the next few days,” Airtel said in a statement. “The solution will enable instant activation of Airtel mobile connection and thereby enhance customer convenience and experience. The digital verification, which is fully secure, will also eliminate paperwork and benefit the environment.”

The e-KYC system enables new customers to submit their Aadhar details at the designated service stores to receive either a postpaid or prepaid active mobile connection.

Under the Aadhaar based instant verification process, customers purchasing a new Airtel mobile connection need to submit and verify their biometric details at the point of sale.

The biometrics will then be instantly matched with the UIDIA database and once validated, the connection will be activated instantly in the customer’s name.

The fully secure process will also include the Aadhaar registration of the retailer and sales representative at the point of sale.

Previously, the KYC was conducted by submitting paper documents that contained proof of address and identification, which resulted in the service activation process taking 24 to 48 hours.

“Effective Wednesday, 24th August, we are rolling it out across the country,” said Sandeep Kataria, Director-Commercial, Vodafone India. “The use of e-KYC will drastically cut down on delays in activating new connections because of infrastructure challenges like power cuts, transporting volumes of paper, lack of photocopying and photography facilities. It will also strengthen the verification process as there will be no room for any manual error.”

Last week, the Indian government notified all telecom operators in the country to offer e-KYC based on Aadhar.

Article Topics

Aadhaar  |  biometrics  |  identity verification  |  KYC  |  telecom