In a bid to strengthen security at MTN stores and improve efficiency while it’s at it, the telecoms company announced today it was implementing a major upgrade in the form of a digital ID system “with real-time biometrics on any device,” across all MTN stores around South Africa.
Yeah, this definitely won’t end badly
“At MTN, our customers are at the heart of everything we do. The deployment of this biometric system is part of our ongoing investment in innovation that makes our customers’ lives easier, safer, and more connected,” said Cornelia van Heerden. “We’ve reimagined the customer journey to be faster, more secure, and more intuitive, without compromising convenience.”
The rollout follows a six-month pilot program that saw the system deployed across 20% of all the operator’s stores, in which it significantly shaved time off the more traditional onboarding process, with the added benefit of reducing identity fraud. MTN noted that the system was “seamless,” adding that it was the first operator to successfully integrate such a system at scale.
MTN’s beefed-up solution was born out of a partnership with Vigilate AI, a company specialising in biometric identification tech, and allows for real-time identification of a customer’s fingerprint or facial biometrics – a must as SIM-swap scams get smarter. With these powers on hand, MTN claims it can help customers sign up quicker or, if they’re returning, provide “near-instant approval and activation” when dealing with new contracts.
Read More: MTN’s Shesh@ fleet is all about bringing the internet to you
“The feedback from our pilot stores was overwhelmingly positive,” added van Heerden. “Customers praised the dramatically faster sign-up, error-free verification, and convenience of the new process. It’s a great example of how we’re using technology to deliver real, tangible value.”
Whether you trust the operator’s third-party partner, Vigilate AI, enough to hold onto your biometric data for the long term (and not do anything sinister with it) is entirely up to you, but if the system in place is as robust as MTN claims, we doubt it’ll be long before competitors follow suit.
2 Comments
This is such great news! Who has been in an MTN store in the past, with a 40 minute wait. Enough to make you leave to find another provider, who realistically has the same issue.
Well done MTN. After doing some of my homework on Vigilate, as per the author’s “what if” conspiratorial ending, I am pleased to know that if you go to the NIST site, the software that MTN use for this customer authentication is best in world, with US made software.
Will. Iw have comfort in knowing my phone is safe!
@Trent: Has Stuff even reached out to Vigilate Ai to ask any questions on data privacy ? My quick scour of the net says that they don’t hold customer data – merely use existing client data and proven external sources.
That and price point is probably why the largest SA bank is also utilising the product.
Perhaps less sleeping or dreaming of a Wind Waker remaster.