India drops shared biometric database from telecom verification rules

India is not proceeding with the Biometric Identity Verification System, but biometrics firmly remain in the plan.

The country’s Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has dropped its proposal to create a single cross‑industry biometric database known as the Biometric Identity Verification System (BIVS).

The final “Telecommunications (User Identification) Rules, 2026” rules, notified last Friday, replace the idea of cross‑company biometric matching with e‑KYC and D‑KYC processes.

Under the Telecommunications Act 2023, operators must verify the identity of users through biometric methods. The draft rules published last September had included BIVS, which would have assigned a unique ID to every telecom customer and allowed companies to check identities against each other’s records.

Civil society groups, including the Internet Freedom Foundation, criticized the plan as an unnecessary parallel collection of biometric data without the safeguards of the Aadhaar Act.

The final rules now require operators such as Airtel, Jio, Vodafone Idea and BSNL to confirm user identity before issuing SIM cards, updating records or disconnecting numbers. Aadhaar holders will be verified through UIDAI’s authentication facility, while non‑Aadhaar users will undergo D‑KYC, which involves live face capture, ID document scans, and, if necessary, field visits or police checks.

Mandatory biometric checks before disconnection is another provision, along with an alert system to notify users of any SIM or account changes, and reporting requirements for failed biometric verification. Companies have three months, extendable to six, to implement the systems.

While BIVS has been abandoned, the DoT has introduced a separate mechanism through its Digital Intelligence Platform. From August 23, the platform will pull subscriber data and photos from all telecom operators to identify individuals holding more than the permitted number of mobile connections nationwide.

India’s telecom verification framework is clearly working out how to balance identity assurance with privacy concerns raised during the consultation process.

Article Topics

Aadhaar  |  biometric database  |  biometric verification  |  data protection  |  identity verification  |  India  |  KYC  |  SIM card registration  |  telecom