Govt allows Aadhaar e-KYC for new mobile connections

New Delhi, Aug 16 (PTI) Forget the bulky paperwork, youcan now apply, validate and activate new pre-paid andpost-paid mobile connections using your Aadhaar card andfingerprint at the point of sale. The government today issued e-KYC guidelines to make theonline process of application and authentication faster andsimpler for subscribers. In contrast to the existing document-based process, themove is intended to cut down time for SIM activation as KYC isverified instantly. In e-KYC, a customer through her Aadhaar number andbiometrics will online authorise UIDAI to provide demographicdetails such as name, address, date of birth and gender, alongwith the digitally-signed photograph, to the mobile operator. "Digitally-signed electronic KYC data provided by UIDAI ismachine readable, making it possible for licensees to directlystore it as customer record in their database for the purposeof issuing a mobile connection," a DoT notification said. COAI Director General Rajan Mathews felt that the movewill be helpful for all stakeholders as it simplifiesactivation, eases verification process and enhances security. "Earlier, the entire verification process would last 8-10hours and it will now be greatly reduced," he hoped. Bharti Airtel plans to start rolling out Aadhaar-basede-KYC solutions this week, MD and CEO (India and South Asia)Gopal Vittal said. Vodafone India termed the e-KYC solution as "an instant,secure and green mobile subscriber verification project" andsaid all stakeholders will benefit from it. Customers will soon be able to walk in with their Aadhaarcard in any of the Vodafone stores and walk out connectedwithin minutes, the company statement read. "For the consumer, instant activation means betterexperience and security of personal confidential information.For Vodafone, it will improve quality of sales as well asregulatory compliance. For the regulator, it not onlymeans a green initiative, but hassle-free governance andaccurate audit results," said Sunil Sood, MD and CEO, VodafoneIndia. According to Hemant Joshi, Partner, Deloitte Haskins &Sells, the move will bring down the cost of subscriberacquisition significantly as telecom companies will not haveto spend on physical transportation of forms, verification,scanning and storage. "Also, it would help easier compliance and reduction inlitigation on account of audit carried out by term cell,"Joshi said. PTI MBIARD