Biometric SIM registration compliance in East Java reaches 100 percent

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Inspection results from the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs (Kemkomdigi) in Surabaya, Gresik, Lamongan, and Sidoarjo show that all mobile operators have fully implemented biometric registration, with no SIM cards found to be activated using another person’s identity. “In these two days, we did not find any pre-registered cards or cards that had been activated using someone else’s data or NIK. We also saw that compliance from the three operators has reached 100 percent,” said Director General of Digital Ecosystem at Kemkomdigi Edwin Hidayat Abdullah in a confirmed statement in Jakarta on Tuesday. He explained that the inspection, conducted by Kemkomdigi together with the Indonesian Cellular Telecommunications Association (ATSI) and operators Telkomsel, Indosat, and XL Smart, ensured that biometric registration implementation was running well at all visited locations. The examination on 8–9 July 2026 showed that the registration system had been comprehensively applied, so the SIM card activation process complied with regulations. “All biometric systems for registration are running well. There are no leaks, so it is 100 percent compliance from the three operators,” he clarified. Despite this, Kemkomdigi stressed that supervision will continue to ensure there are no more practices of identity misuse in mobile customer registration. The government will also take legal steps if the use of other people’s personal data to activate SIM cards is still found. “If there are still practices of misusing someone else’s NIK for SIM registration, we will take even tougher action. We will cooperate with the police later, because that is part of personal data theft,” Edwin asserted. According to him, the implementation of biometric registration has also not had a significant impact on new SIM card sales. Based on monitoring, average daily sales remain in the range of 250,000 to 260,000 cards, not much different compared to before the biometric policy was applied. Therefore, he appreciated the support from mobile operators, business players, and the public who have backed the policy. Edwin also urged the public to continue safeguarding personal data security by ensuring every SIM card is registered only using the legitimate owner’s identity. “We want to ensure that the use of this SIM card is truly by the rightful person. So, do not use someone else’s name, someone else’s identity, to carry out activities through mobile operators,” he said.