Biometric SIM card registration takes effect today, here are the benefits

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The government officially mandated SIM card registration with biometric facial verification for the public activating new mobile numbers starting today, Wednesday, as an effort to strengthen customer identity validation and improve telecommunications service security. The obligation for SIM card registration using biometric facial recognition is stipulated in the Minister of Communication and Digital Affairs Regulation Number 7 of 2026 concerning Customer Registration for Mobile Cellular Network Telecommunications Services. “Telecommunications Service Providers are required to apply the Know Your Customer (KYC) principle to carry out Registration,” reads Article 2 paragraph (1) of the regulation. The regulation stipulates that telecommunications service providers must apply the Know Your Customer (KYC) principle in customer registration. One application of the KYC principle for the new SIM card registration process is through the addition of facial verification using biometric technology, in addition to providing the customer’s mobile number and population data in the form of the Population Identification Number (NIK). “We hope this biometric measure can later reduce the level of anonymity, which then leads to people tending to commit crimes when their identity is unknown,” said Meutya. According to her, the use of biometrics will make customer data more accurate so that the identity of the mobile number owner can be verified more clearly and accountably. Furthermore, Meutya stated that more accurate customer data can also help mobile operators provide more optimal services to users. “Mobile operators can provide better services for those who have indeed completed the biometric registration,” she said. Biometric registration is carried out using facial recognition technology to match the customer’s identity with population data from the Directorate General of Population and Civil Registration (Dukcapil) of the Ministry of Home Affairs. The process is designed to be more practical, faster, and safer compared to previous registration methods. In addition, the implementation of biometric registration has also adopted international security standards, including ISO 27001 and liveness detection technology in accordance with the ISO/IEC 30107-3 standard, to ensure system security and prevent digital identity misuse. Director General of Digital Ecosystem at the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs, Edwin Hidayat Abdullah, said the implementation of biometric registration will initially focus on new number registrations. Nevertheless, the government also encourages existing customers who registered using their Population Identification Number (NIK) and Family Card number before 1 July 2026 to voluntarily re-register using biometrics. “Biometric registration is part of the government’s effort to build a safer and more trustworthy digital space. With validated customer identities, the public is expected to be better protected from various mobile number-based fraud schemes,” he said.