The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority has forbidden the immediate introduction of SIM registration using iris biometric technology.
The National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA), according to PTA, has not yet contacted the authority about such a request, so it is not currently being taken into consideration.
NADRA will need to capture user iris data utilising the Iris biometric technology before the introduction of mobile SIM registration. Sim cards can only be registered and validated by matching certain data.
Since there are almost 250 million people in Pakistan, NADRA would need to install millions of machines there in order to implement the eye biometric authentication system, which would take some time.
NADRA must first approve the introduction of an iris biometric system for mobile SIM registration. There isn’t a contract for this system in place between PTA and NADRA yet. The Multi-Finger Biometric Verification System (MBVS), which PTA and NADRA started utilising in December 2022, is used to issue SIM cards.
The registration of mobile SIMs has been enhanced with the MBVS system after an agreement for a multi-finger biometric verification system was also inked between NADRA and mobile phone providers. The use of this technology to stop the issuance of fake SIM cards and fight fraud has significant potential.
The executives also stated that PTA has no issues with this biometric method and that registration of mobile SIMs through Iris can help avoid forgery. The issue of providing SIM cards using the new biometric methodology will be discussed in secret by the two institutions with participation from mobile phone operators.
However, if there is agreement on the launch of this system, an agreement will be established between PTA, NADRA, and mobile phone carriers. It is too soon to make any statements prior to this full procedure.
A new biometric eye-based authentication system called “Iris” has just been released by NADRA.
According to NADRA, there is very little chance of misidentification through the eyes because the iris, the circle that surrounds the pupil of the eye, does not change over the course of a person’s lifetime. According to NADRA, a scan done when a person is young might potentially act as lifelong identity.