ISLAMABAD: To regulate the sales of SIMs issued unlawfully, an improved version of the biometric verification system (BVS) has been introduced to issue SIM cards.
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 firms will employ.
Through NADRA and CMOs, the BVS devices that are sold through channels have been modified to comply with the new system’s standards. When issuing a new or duplicate SIM, the new system demands impressions of multiple fingers for authentication and applicant antecedents.
Implementing the new method will prevent the use of phoney fingerprints for illicit purposes because the system now controls the choice of fingers for verification purposes rather than the seller representative, who previously had that discretion.
The Additional Director-General of the Federal Investigation Authority (FIA), representatives from CMOs, PTA Chairman Major General (Retd) Amir Azeem Bajwa, NADRA Chairman Muhammad Tariq Malik, PTA Member (Compliance & Enforcement) Dr. Khawar Siddique Khokhar, and others were present at the signing ceremony.
MBFVS has the enormous potential to deter fraudsters and con artists, said the NADRA chairman. As per him, the new system is a smart solution that employs a homegrown smart algorithm and presents a finger choice rather than predetermined finger placements.
