Indonesian operator Telkomsel says it is trialing facial recognition to facilitate its processes for prepaid card registration and card replacement, making it the second telco in the country to embrace the biometric technology.
Telkomsel said on Friday it has implemented facial recognition in its customer service portal GraPARI Online and the MyGraPARI app on a trial basis. The facial scan is matched with government identity databases to verify the customer’s identity.
Facial recognition will be used along with existing validation methods like Population Identification Numbers (NIK) and Family Card Numbers (KK).
Telkomsel’s MyGraPARI has been leveraging facial recognition indirectly by supporting eKTP, the digital version of Indonesia’s ID card that includes biometric data such as facial recognition. MyGraPARI also supports fingerprint scanning as an ID verification option.
Telkomsel sales director Adiwinahyu Basuki Sigit said facial recognition will make it easier and safer for customers to register prepaid cards and change cards whilst also strengthening personal data protection.
“This biometric technology not only facilitates the registration process, but also supports the implementation of Know Your Customer (KYC) standards implemented by telecommunications operators to ensure the validity of customer data and reduce the risk of fraud and misuse of customer identity that often occurs in today's digital era,” he said in a statement.
Telkomsel’s announcement comes a few weeks after rival telco XL Axiata launched a new prepaid SIM card registration process using facial recognition as a biometric ID verification measure, following a successful trial last month.
Use of facial recognition technology has been ramping up in Indonesia, particularly among government agencies and companies, with much of it applied to immigration checkpoints.