Indonesia Reports 9.3 Million Biometric SIM Registrations

Indonesia has recorded 9.3 million biometric SIM registrations from January through July 2026 as the country shifts new mobile subscriptions to facial verification. The Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs is targeting 18 million biometric registrations by the end of the year.

Edwin Hidayat Abdullah, the ministry’s director general of digital ecosystems, said the volume has continued to increase during the rollout. Government data cited in the latest update put monthly registrations at 760,000 in May, 2.1 million in June and 4.6 million through July 19, alongside the 9.3 million cumulative figure for January through July.

Biometric registration became mandatory for new prepaid SIM activations on July 1 after a six-month voluntary period. Customers can complete the process at an operator outlet or through an operator’s application or website, depending on the provider’s supported channels.

The verification compares a live facial image with identity information associated with Indonesia’s population database. The policy is intended to limit activation under another person’s national identity number and make it harder to create anonymous mobile accounts for scams or other crimes.

The mandatory phase follows the government’s July 1 implementation deadline for facial biometric registration. Indonesia had previously prepared the transition through operator testing and a voluntary rollout.

Komdigi plans to work with mobile operators on public education and broader communication about the requirement. Existing rules also limit the number of active prepaid numbers that can be registered directly to one identity with each operator, while additional numbers require an operator-managed process.

The reported count is a registration total, not a measure of unique people. A subscriber may hold more than one number, and the update does not provide a breakdown by operator or indicate how many attempts failed because the facial comparison or identity data could not be validated. It also does not state how many registrations belong to first-time subscribers rather than replacement numbers.

The ministry has also begun checking operator and retailer compliance. Officials say oversight is necessary because the biometric process can still be misused if a seller registers a customer’s SIM with the seller’s own face or bypasses required steps.

Sources: Harian Jogja, Komdigi

–

By the ID Tech Editorial Team