JAKARTA, APRIL 12, 2025 - PT XL Axiata Tbk (XL Axiata) has expressed entire backing for the government's new policy on the usage of Embedded Subscriber Identity Module (eSIM) technology and the updating of customer data using biometric technology. This policy is established by the Minister of Communication and Digital Affairs' (Komdigi) Regulation No. 7 of 2025 on the Use of eSIM Technology in Telecommunications, as well as the Director General of the Digital Ecosystem's Circular Letter No. 5 of 2025 on the Implementation of Telecommunication Service Customer Registration Using Biometric Identity Data.
This policy was announced at a socialisation event organised by the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs, attended by the Minister of Communication and Digital Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia, Meutya Hafid. President Director & CEO of XL Axiata, Rajeev Sethi. Director & Chief Enterprise Business & Corporate Affairs Officer of XL Axiata, Yessie D. Yosetya. President Director of Smartfren, Merza Fachys, and other executives from mobile networks operators, on Friday (April 11)
Minister Meutya Hafid stated that this is an important step towards addressing the concerns of digital crime and combating the misuse of telecommunications services. "This is not just a technical issue, it's a shared responsibility to keep Indonesia's digital space safe and comfortable, especially for the public and children who are vulnerable to digital crimes."
Rajeev Sethi, President, Director, & CEO of XL Axiata, stated the company's readiness to execute the policy. "We continually innovate by introducing cutting-edge technology such as eSIM and biometric registration to provide our consumers with safer, more efficient, and trustworthy services. This invention demonstrates XL Axiata's commitment to the government's aim of driving national digital transformation while improving consumer data security with cutting-edge biometric technology."
Customer registration through eSIM will be complemented with biometric verification, such as facial recognition, which will be checked immediately against the Directorate General's Civil Registration database. According to the applicable policy, a single National Identity Number (NIK) can only be linked to a maximum of three phone numbers under this policy, hence boosting security and transparency in future communication systems.
Rajeev also added, “eSIM and biometrics are part of our roadmap toward fully digital services. With robust infrastructure and a strong commitment to data security, we are ready to lead the digital transformation of this industry.”
By combining eSIM services and biometric technology, XL Axiata provides a faster, more secure customer experience that is customised to the needs of the digital-first era, while also ensuring more accurate and up to date customer data. This would greatly help to prevent the misuse of mobile phones for criminal activities such as disseminating hoaxes, frauds, and cybercrime, as well as promote real name registration laws while lowering false or unregistered phone numbers.
At XL Centres, customers will be required to scan their faces with specific devices as part of the biometric SIM registration procedure. The system will automatically verify the biometric data to the national civil registry database.
During the socialisation event, consumers were given a live demonstration of SIM registration utilising biometric technology. The testing confirmed the system's capacity to adapt to diverse user conditions in the field, as well as the high accuracy and reliability of the technology promoted by XL Axiata. Notably, XL Axiata is the first operator to begin piloting and implementing prepaid card registration using biometric technology in September 2024, providing flexibility that can be accessed from any device, anywhere, and at anytime.
Other operators also attended the event, demonstrating industry wide collaboration in developing a safe and trustworthy national digital environment.
This launch reinforces XL Axiata's position as a pioneer in the digitalisation of telecommunications services in Indonesia, as well as its commitment to continual innovation and customer data security.