Saudi Arabia partners with Valid while biometric SIM card registration picks up pace

Saudi Arabia is advancing mobile connectivity as it successfully deploys a Remote SIM Provisioning (RSP) platform.

Mobily, a Saudi Arabia-based telco, has partnered with Brazilian identity solutions and payment technology company Valid. Valid’s Over-the-Air platform will be deployed so that Mobily can manage subscribers’ SIM and eSIM profiles remotely and with greater efficiency.

Mobily’s subscribers will benefit from “smoother” network experiences, faster profile switching and improved security, according to the company. Valid’s Remote SIM Provisioning solution allows users to activate and manage eSIM profiles without having to visit physical stores.

“This collaboration with Mobily is a significant milestone for Valid as it highlights our capability to deliver on-premises deployments of both Remote SIM Provisioning and OTA platforms,” says Salvador Cabrera, COO at Valid. In addition to consumer smartphones, Mobily said Valid’s technology offers flexibility to IoT devices and M2M applications.

SIM registration and biometric link-up trend advances 

Thailand has faced pressure from China recently as one of the latter’s citizens was abducted by a scam call center. The Chinese actor was abducted in Thailand and was later freed in a case that went viral in his homeland. Since then, Thai authorities have made concerted efforts to liberate those imprisoned in the notorious compounds, which can be found in border areas in Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar.

Meanwhile, Thai officials along with heads of banking and telecommunications companies and associations have discussed “urgent measures” to tackle the issue of call center gangs. Proposed measures include adopting a biometric authentication system for SIM card registration and limiting the registration of foreign SIM cards to no more than three SIMs per person.

Thailand’s Deputy Secretary General of the National Security Council Lt. Col. Ekrak Limsangat revealed a mobile banking measure whereby large money transfers (such as 50,000 baht or more) would require an internet signal from a SIM card along with face biometric verification, which would make it more difficult for fraudsters to transfer money.

Indian trading applications implement biometric authentication through SIMs

In India, the market regulator has proposed linking trading accounts with SIM cards and making biometric authentication mandatory to protect investors from unauthorized transactions. The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) acknowledged that hacking, identity theft and fraud are growing threats as mobile trading platforms have gained greater use. For example, Sebi flagged an increase in unauthorized access to accounts and SIM card spoofing to divert one-time passwords (OTPs), Live Mint reports.

To address this, the regulator has proposed a security framework. A core part of this is introducing a SIM-binding mechanism like the one used in Unified Payments Interface (UPI) transactions which link a mobile number, device, and the unique client code for secure access.

The proposed framework also calls for mandatory biometric authentication, such as fingerprints or face biometrics, for trading application logins. The new security framework is to be implemented in phases, with investors having the option to opt-in voluntarily to begin with, with a view to making the secure authentication system mandatory in the future.

Sebi has invited public comments on the proposals by March 11.

The Indian government has also made efforts to combat cybercrime and telecom fraud. The country’s Department of Telecommunications has issued new directives to telecoms companies to implement a Digital Integrated Verification System (DIVS) for SIM card registrations. This means Aadhaar-based biometric verification for new mobile connections is mandatory while the new directive reinforces this requirement and introduces stricter measures for SIM card issuance, a local publication reports.

The stricter measures include the number of SIM cards issued under a single customer’s name will be monitored, customers’ photographs should now be taken from 10 different angles to help prevent identity fraud, while retailers cannot issue SIM cards without Aadhaar-based biometric authentication.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  eSIM  |  India  |  mobile identity credentialing  |  Saudi Arabia  |  SIM  |  SIM card registration  |  Thailand  |  Valid