A Telecom Operator in Asia launches digital identity verification service

eKYC is the new normal in the country

For several years, an Asian country has pursued an ambitious ‘Smart Nation’ initiative. Technology is being applied throughout society to improve the lives and livelihoods of citizens.

Digitization of the ID verification procedures, also referred to as eKYC (Electronic Know Your Customer), employed by enterprises, including banks and mobile network operators, is now very much part of this transformative program. 

One of the Country’s leading telecom operators is totally committed to the Smart Nation project. Reflecting this, the operator has implemented a fully digital eKYC journey for new subscribers built on Thales' Trusted Digital Identity Services Platform.

From postal to digital

Initially, the operator’s remote enrollment service relied only on a local postal delivery worker to visit the subscriber in person to verify their ID, creating additional administrative and logistics costs.

The most obvious drawback of postal delivery is that it takes too long. The average processing time for a KYC application via postal mail is 3 days, while digital can take as little as an hour. This means that a lot of time can be wasted waiting for verification documents like birth certificates, passports, and utility bills.

Another drawback is privacy concerns: postal mail is not secure and can be intercepted by anyone along its journey from sender to receiver. With digital KYC, all documents are stored on a secure server, and only authorized parties can access them.

High accuracy and reliability were prerequisites.

The telecom operator’s new eKYC service must verify around fifteen different types of ID cards and documents captured via the company's mobile app.

Facial recognition technology confirms that the new subscriber is the legitimate holder of the submitted ID credentials.

With the Country’s regulators demanding an 85% success rate for remote identity verification, both processes must be performed to high standards of accuracy and reliability.

Benefits of the Thales eKYC Solution

Thales Trusted Digital Identity service platform is a highly integrated solution featuring advanced facial recognition technology with built-in liveness detection and can swiftly confirm the authenticity of subscribers’ ID credentials.

The main advantage is a more seamless and convenient digital enrollment journey.

The entire process can be completed quickly and easily at a time and location that best suits the customer.

In the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, eliminating the need for face-to-face contact also provides valuable public health benefits.
 

Why Thales?

The telecom operator has a well-established relationship with Thales and has already subscribed to Thales’ offers: Over The Air (OTA) platforms, On Demand Subscription Management Platform for eSIM and M2M.

Building on this successful partnership, Thales’ Trusted Digital Services ID Platform proved an ideal match for the demands of the new eKYC project.

Crucially, Thales could offer a true one-stop solution that integrates everything needed to capture, verify and authenticate customer credentials and biometrics in-store and online.

More on eKYC, ID verification and the digital journey

• Identity fraud in Telecommunication: the size of the problem 
• Digital customer onboarding (white paper) 
• Biometrics: definition, reliability and use cases
• Facial liveness detection: biometrics and identification processes