By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: The National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) and Cellular Mobile Operators (CMOs) have signed a contract at the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) headquarters to issue Subscriber Identity Modules (SIMs) — a smart card that stores identification information that pinpoints a smartphone to a specific mobile network — using a multi-finger biometric verification system (MBVS).
A contract was signed at the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) headquarters between the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) and Cellular Mobile Operators (CMOs) to implement the new Multi Finger Biometric Verification System (MFBVS), which the telecom companies will use.
Through NADRA and CMOs, the BVS devices that are sold through channels have been upgraded to comply with the new system’s requirements. When issuing a new or duplicate SIM, the new system requires impressions of multiple fingers for authentication and applicant antecedents.
Implementing the new system will prevent the use of fake fingerprints for illegal purposes because the system now controls the choice of fingers for verification purposes rather than the seller representative, who previously had that control.
PTA Chairman Major General (Retd) Amir Azeem Bajwa, NADRA Chairman Muhammad Tariq Malik, PTA Member (Compliance & Enforcement) Dr. Khawar Siddique Khokhar, the Additional Director-General of the Federal Investigation Authority (FIA), and representatives from CMOs were present at the signing ceremony.
.According to the NADRA chairman, MBFVS has enormous potential to deter fraudsters and scammers. He asserted that the new system is an intelligent solution that makes use of a proprietary smart algorithm and proposes a finger choice rather than predetermined finger positions.
No more illegal SIMs
In addition to getting rid of silicon-based fingerprints used to issue SIM cards for mobile phones, the improved system will also make it more difficult to buy illegal SIM cards. In addition to protecting the privacy and bolstering Pakistan’s national security, the new system “will combat fake SIM issuance and ID fraud.”
