Indonesia has severed the link between its national identity number and mobile-phone registration, ordering all operators to switch to mandatory facial-recognition verification for new SIM cards from 1 July 2026. The Ministry of Communication and Digital (Komdigi) simultaneously asked the civil registry to shut down the validation channel that previously allowed activation using only a resident’s NIK and family-card number. Spot checks in Jakarta on 3 July found that two of three operators at one shopping centre were still processing new customers without biometric checks, prompting a formal warning that administrative sanctions will follow for non-compliance.

Viewed from Jakarta, the policy is framed as a strategic move to close a loophole that has allowed SIM cards to be registered using other people’s identities, a practice officials link to digital fraud and cybercrime. The director-general for the digital ecosystem, Edwin Abdullah, said the shift is not merely an administrative change but a foundation for a more secure digital ecosystem. The regulation, enshrined in Ministerial Regulation No. 7 of 2026, makes face-recognition the sole registration method. One major operator, XLSmart, confirmed it had already stopped using NIK-based registration for new customers, though it noted that during a six-month transition the old method still accounted for the majority of sign-ups.

In India, the Unique Identification Authority (UIDAI) introduced a less coercive but parallel enhancement: Aadhaar holders can now add or update their email address directly through the official app, with the service free for six months from 1 July. The authority said more than 250,000 people updated their email in the first two days, a change it argues will allow residents to receive real-time alerts on authentication requests and add a layer of transparency to the use of their identity data. Unlike the Indonesian case, the Indian update does not replace an existing verification pathway but extends the digital self-service capabilities of the national ID platform.

Meanwhile, in Nigeria’s Ekiti State, the government has ordered all commercial motorcycle and tricycle operators to undergo biometric data capture by 18 July, with registration beginning on 6 July. The transport commissioner said the exercise aims to create a comprehensive database, improve public safety and curb criminal activity linked to unregistered operators. The registration will be conducted at tax offices across the state’s 16 local government areas, and operators who miss the deadline face sanctions under state transport regulations.

Indonesia’s Komdigi has said it will continue nationwide monitoring and will not hesitate to penalise operators that activate new customers without biometric verification. In India, the free email-update window runs until the end of December 2026. Ekiti State’s registration deadline of 18 July will be the first test of compliance for the Nigerian initiative.