Get instant mobile connections with Aadhaar e-KYC service

Customers will now be able to use their AADHAR cards to get their new mobile connections instantly activated, as the government has approved electronic-Know Your Customer (e-KYC) rules using Aadhaar cards.

In a notification issued on Tuesday, the telecom department (DoT) said, "After successful completion of Proof of Concept to use Aadhaar e-KYC service for issuing mobile connections to subscribers, it has been decided to launch the 'Aadhaar' e-KYC service across all the Licensed Service Areas including J&K, North East and Assam for issuance of mobile connections as an alternative process to the existing PoI/ PoA document based processes."

DoT added that customers will now be able to online authorize UIDAI through Aadhaar authentication using their Aadhaar numbers and biometrics so that their demographic data and digitally signed photograph can be provided to the service provider.

"As per UIDAI, digitally signed electronic KYC data provided by UIDAI is machine readable, making it possible for the Licensees to directly store it as the customer record in their database for purposes of issuing a mobile connection," the notification read.

Also, service providers will be allowed to appoint or employ franchisee, agents, distributors and employees who will provide these services.

"The Licensee (service providers) shall keep proper control over them and the Licensee shall be liable for the acts done by its franchisee, agents, distributors and employees in the provisioning of service," the department added.

Bharti Airtel, India’s leading telco will probably roll out e-KYC using AADHAR card from this week itself, while Vodafone India and Idea Cellular, ranked 2nd and 3rd respectively, will be doing so in coming weeks.

All three leading telcos had partnered with DoT so that AADHAR based e-KYC solutions can be used for verification, and also went ahead to test it successfully in four telecom circles.

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