TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Ministry of Communication and Digital (Komdigi) announced that SIM (subscriber identity module) card registration using facial biometric recognition will be implemented starting July 1, 2026, after months of trial since the beginning of this year.
"I traveled around Java, Sumatra, and Kalimantan to check whether this system could be implemented already in Indonesia. Alhamdulillah, it's ready," said Edwin Hidayat Abdullah, the ministry's Digital Ecosystem DG in a virtual press conference on Friday, May 29, 2026. "Although, I haven't been to Papua just yet."
SIM card registration thus far relied on the National Identity Number (NIK) and Family Card data, which Edwin believed were not secure enough as they enabled fraudulent SIM card activation.
According to Edwin, three mobile operators have implemented the facial recognition system during the trial period, namely Telkomsel, Indosat, and XLSmart.
Based on consumer feedback, Edwin concluded that the biometric system proves to be a faster process than the manual SIM card registration.
"The registration process with facial recognition is not much different from the previous registration. On average, consumers complete the registration process in less than a minute," Edwin said.
Edwin said the biometric system also allows for users to trace misuse of NIK and KK by other registered numbers. If personal data abuse is detected, users are welcome to request deactivation.
In addition to biometric registration, the government has asked all mobile operators to provide an antiscam protection system to prevent digital fraud.
Based on data from the Indonesia Anti-Scam Centre (IASC), the value of digital fraud losses until April 2026 has reached Rp9.5 trillion across more than 548,000 reports.
"All mobile operators now have anti-scam devices. This is part of the mobile operator's business responsibility to protect its consumers," Edwin said.
He added that the three mobile operators are also asked to prepare a voluntary registration mechanism for numbers that have been active for a long time, allowing users to update and verify their data.
Biometric registration, he said, is part of the efforts to realize the constitutional mandate of citizen protection before achieving public welfare.
Read: Cybersecurity Expert Warns of Biometric SIM Registration Risks in Indonesia
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