Vodafone Qatar deploys Innovatrics’ biometrics for multiservice eKYC

Vodafone Qatar has hailed the impact of a fully remote onboarding system for different digital Know Your Customer (KYC) journeys which it built and launched thanks to biometrics from Innovatrics. It calls it a “shared identity layer” to which new products can plug in, instead of having separate KYC flows.

With support from system integrator Zentity, the digital onboarding platform can facilitate the registration of SIM cards and eSIMs. It also supports digital wallet sign-up as users can complete registration online without the need to visit any of Vodafone’s physical stores, according to an announcement.

Vodafone says the system was also deployed during the FIFA World Cup in 2022, and it served thousands of persons who needed access to fast and reliable mobile services.

Apart from SIM and wallet registration, it is a consolidated identity verification platform which can be used across multiple services beyond initial onboarding.

Among other things, the platform now supports eSIM downloads, mobile money account opening, SIM swaps, ID updates, plan changes and pre-paid to post-paid migrations.

Innovatrics says the system is built with advance security, with passive liveness detection which can identify deepfakes and video injection attacks.

To conduct identity verification using the system, a user needs to scan their ID card and take a selfie using an app or on the web, and then match their biometrics with the photo on the ID card. Checks are done in real time and all of the process takes less than a minute to complete, according to the company.

Since the deployment of the system, Innovatrics says Vodafone Qatar customers have seen reduced reliance on physical branches, faster activation of services like SIM card which can be obtained from more than 2,600 locations, and improved accessibility for residents and visitors.

According to an Innovatrics case study, the company helped Vodafone Qatar to build a digital-first experience which has introduced a more efficient way of verifying identities, different from the in-store and manual processes for buying and registering SIM cards.

PNG to link SIMs with digital ID next year

In a related development about SIM card identification, some updates have been reported in Papua New Guinea (PNG), Cote d’Ivoire and Indonesia.

PNG says it is planning reforms in this regard which will make the SevisPass digital ID a key aspect of SIM registration. As reported by the National Broadcasting Corporation, the new regulations will be introduced next year.

Linking SIM cards to the national digital ID, the government believes, will contribute to the reduction of fraud and cyber criminality.

Going by the new policy which is still being drafted, citizens who are 18 years old and above, will be required to have a SevisPass and link it with their telephone number.

All SIM cards not linked after June 30, 2026, will be deactivated, the government has warned.

PNG just launched the SevisPass and SevisWallet built by Tech5 last month, and the government says it the digital ID and wallet are central to its digital transformation plans.

Indonesia readies biometric-based SIM verification

In Indonesia, authorities say new rules are being drafted to curb SIM card fraud, given the huge number of new SIM cards activated in the country on a daily basis. At least 500,000 SIM cards are said to be activated in the country every day.

The Minister of Communication and Digital Affairs, and the Director General of Digital Ecosystems at the ministry, are quoted by local media are saying that work is being done to introduce biometrics-based SIM verification.

Officials say because of a lack of regulation, SIM cards are sold and used freely to commit crime, VOI reports.

According to Tempo English, the idea to introduce biometrics for SIM verification is however already being contested by some who warn that the move could put people’s personal data and privacy at risk.

8M SIMs registered in Cote d’Ivoire with Seamfix

Seamfix announced last month that its BioSmart system has enabled MTN Cote d’Ivoire to register more than 8 million SIM users. The BioSmart X system replaced the old device model the telco had struggled with.

These 8 million registrations occurred in just 10 months, Seamfix said, from hundreds of MTN Cote d’Ivoire locations.

Seamfix’s identity verification solution is being used in several African countries and beyond, and the company envisions reaching one billion people with its IDV and trust services by 2030.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  Côte d’Ivoire  |  digital ID  |  identity verification  |  Indonesia  |  Innovatrics  |  onboarding  |  Papua New Guinea  |  Qatar  |  Seamfix  |  SIM card registration