South African firm Axon Wireless has launched Africa’s first ‘tap and go’ system for mobile SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) card registration.
Ivory Coast is the first country on the continent where mobile users are able to comply with KYC (Know Your Customer) requirements by simply placing their national identity cards on a mobile phone screen and letting the agent’s pre-loaded Axon software do the rest.
By instantly reading and recording citizens’ identity information, SIMs are registered in an astonishing 45 seconds. “Mobile’s all about convenience and we’re extending that efficiency to the customer sign-up process. The system has been exceptionally well-received by mobile users who have historically felt inconvenienced by onerous SIM registration requirements,” says Justin Lipshitz, CEO of Axon Wireless.
This latest development follows news that millions of Zambian mobile users have been registered over the past 9 months by over 3 000 agents using Axon’s SIM registration software, in line with ZICTA (Zambia Information & Communications Technology Authority) requirements.
In Ivory Coast, the ‘tap and go’ system designed by Johannesburg-based Axon is now fully bedded down and helping mobile network operators (MNOs) comply with that country’s mobile sector regulatory regime that has prioritised national SIM card registration.
“After using South Africa as a proving ground, we took our SIM sign-up system and made it better in Ivory Coast. Now, we’re hoping South Africans will also soon have access to ‘tap and go’ SIM card registration to help ease the complexities involved in becoming a mobile customer,” says Mr Lipshitz.
The software developed in Joburg by Axon is loaded onto agents’ existing mobile phones which minimises SIM registration costs. In addition, the software is flexible which means any amendments to a particular country’s registration requirements can be easily actioned.
Axon Wireless has enrolled over 200 million people globally using its customer registration technology and handheld devices since commercial launch. Axon’s Face2Face 4.X Identity Management Platform provides mobile and retail customer biometric registration solutions that deliver mobility, regulatory compliance, speed and simplicity.
