KYC is an important step for Indians who are applying for mobile connections and when converting between postpaid and prepaid connections. As part of their initiative for contactless and secure authentication processes for mobile customers, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has now enabled self-KYC.
At the moment, when applying for new connections or when switching between postpaid and pre-paid connections, customers would need to go to the point-of-sale and get their KYC done by verifying their identity documents. The process could get cumbersome, and in times of the pandemic, safety is a major concern.
To get past these problems, the DoT has introduced self-KYC, which can be done through an app or portal-based online process. Customers can apply for new connections from the comfort of their home/ office, and the documents for KYC are electronically verified by the UIDAI or DigiLocker.
It is paperless and Telecom Service providers can quickly get the demographic details and customer photo from UIDAI. For each authentication, Telecom Service Providers (TSP) will be charged Rs. 1 per customer.