South Korea Ministry of Science and ICT has extended the country pilot program for facial recognition-based SIM registration until June 30, 2026, citing the need to give mobile carriers and technology vendors more time to refine the system and allow additional participants to join.
The program, launched in December, verifies subscriber identity using face biometrics at the point of mobile service activation. When a customer opens a new phone line at a participating carrier, they complete a facial recognition scan that is checked against their identity document data to confirm the person matches the registered identity. The system targets a specific category of fraud common in East Asian mobile markets: the use of stolen or borrowed identities to activate lines without the account holder knowledge.
The original pilot was due to conclude this month. The Ministry decided to extend after feedback from carriers and stakeholders indicated that additional time was needed to address technical issues, gather broader demographic data on accuracy, and onboard carriers that had not yet participated in the initial phase.
South Korea has been building out mobile identity infrastructure across several sectors. Ghana recently completed a nationwide SIM biometric re-registration campaign routed through a self-service mobile app, illustrating how different markets are approaching similar challenges of tying mobile subscriptions to verified identities.
The extension has not resolved questions about the program longer-term direction. Civil society groups have raised concerns about proportionality, the security of stored biometric data, and whether the pilot is on a path toward a permanent requirement without sufficient independent review. The Ministry has indicated that data gathered during the extended period will inform whether facial recognition becomes a permanent part of SIM registration, is modified, or is discontinued.
The outcome will be watched closely by other markets considering biometric-linked SIM registration as a fraud prevention measure, particularly as mobile identity becomes central to financial access, digital services, and national ID frameworks across the Asia-Pacific region.
Sources: Telecompaper, Mobile World Live
By the Mobile ID World Editorial Team
