Egypt launches biometric SIM verification via apps

Egypt has begun rolling out biometric identity verification through mobile operator apps, extending remote identity checks to SIM purchases and electronic wallets.

Egypt’s National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (NTRA) has launched a biometric digital identity system that allows mobile operators to verify customers remotely through their applications. The system is initially being made available to Egypt’s four mobile operators on a pilot basis for services including SIM card purchases and the opening of electronic wallets.

The rollout is designed to reduce reliance on physical branches for identity checks while strengthening controls over who is actually using a mobile line.

Mobile numbers increasingly function as identity credentials because they are used for account recovery, authentication codes and access to digital financial services.

Closing gaps in SIM registration

The new system also addresses cases in which a mobile line is registered under one person’s identity but used by someone else. Customers affected by mismatched registration data may be required to visit an operator branch and sign a new contract to update the registration details.

Lines whose registration details are not corrected within the period set by the operator may be permanently deactivated. Customers will also be able to identify lines registered under their identity that are no longer in their possession.

Egypt already applies strict identity requirements when selling and replacing SIM cards. Egyptian customers must present a valid national ID and sign the contract in person, while SIM swaps require operators to match the customer’s identity document with subscriber information held in their database.

Egypt limits each citizen to 10 voice lines and five data lines per mobile operator under a single national ID.

The telecom rollout comes days after Egypt’s central bank introduced a separate digital identity framework for remote banking and eKYC.

Together, the two developments point to a broader shift toward regulated digital identity across Egypt’s telecom and financial sectors, with biometric and electronic authentication increasingly replacing branch-based verification.