IDEMIA Driving Innovations in 5G, M2M and eSIM Space

Focus on Augmented Identity | Disruptive Telecoms

With a deep focus on Augmented Identity - Courbevoie, France based IDEMIA has got 25 years of special relationship with India and is driving a lot of innovation in the fast emerging 5G, M2M and eSIM space.

Matthew Foxton, India Regional President, IDEMIA speaks with Zia Askari from TelecomDrive.com about the company’s focus in the Augmented Identity space and its future plans for India.

IDEMIA is playing a critical role in the Augmented Identity space. How big is this market globally as well as in India? Can you share some figures?

We live in a world today where identity is core to any transaction we make in the physical or digital world. It can be to pay, travel, communicate, vote or access private or public spaces. Given the vast range of environments and usages, securing our identity has become vital in the world we live in today; hence, the need for an IDTech like IDEMIA is colossal.

[caption id="attachment_71565" align="alignnone" width="697"] IDEMIA, the global leader in Augmented Identity[/caption]

IDEMIA is well-positioned serving clients in 180 countries

#1 in police biometric systems

Trusted by 1,900 financial institutions and FinTechs

#1 in civil identity solutions

Trusted by 500 mobile operators

#1 in US driver’s license issuance

Owing to an extensive global presence and our innovative identity technological expertise, IDEMIA is the global leader in facilitating Identity technologies to the specific needs of four major industries- Financial services, Telecom, Citizen Identity and Public Security.

The digital economy was already manifesting globally and in India, but the pandemic gave it a boost. The landscape has been transformed with millions of transactions – social, personal, and professional – being managed digitally every day. Core to all these transactions is secure and convenient identity authentication. According to Markets and Markets report, the Identity market size is expected to grow from USD 36.6 billion in 2020 to a stomping USD 68.6 billion by 2025.

We can expect a global increase in demand and desire for Identity Technologies across our four markets worldwide. We are also expecting Identity Technologies to play a greater role in border security, transportation and automotive industries.

What is your go-to-market strategy to target India as geography and how important is the Indian market for IDEMIA?

We share a deep historical relationship with India. Over the last 25 years in the country, IDEMIA has powered many mission-critical and digital transformation projects in partnership with the Government and other leading players in the private sector. We believe in “Made in India”. In our Noida factory, we produce more than 600 million SIM cards and credit cards per year for our Indian as well as global clients. We cater to more than 300 clients across the globe from our Noida factory. We also recognize the innovation and technology resource power of India and hence India is a base for our Global R&D and Digital Platforms, which cater to innovative and cutting edge identity solutions in India and across the globe. We have also invested in a standalone IDEMIA Tower in Noida with 1000+ seating.

What are some of the big innovations that IDEMIA is driving in the Augmented Identity space?

We have always led innovation in Identity Technologies globally, be it in telecom, identity and security, or the payments landscape across the world. We have an array of innovations.

On the Telecom front, IDEMIA is at the forefront in India and the globe in developing offers in 5G and M2M and IoT rollouts. We are also leading the structural change and adaptation to eSIMs.

For the financial sector, we have introduced GreenPay payment cards which are made from recycled PVC and help banks reduce their carbon footprint. We are also leaders in providing Metal Cards to Banks and Fintechs to achieve top-of-wallet.

As the world is shifting to physical distancing and contactless, our MorphoWave compact by IDEMIA enables touchless identification with a wave of the hand by scanning our four fingers.  MorphoWave technology has become the benchmark in frictionless access, securing high traffic access points in the world’s largest financial institutions, critical infrastructure facilities, universities and healthcare organizations. We have had great success in India with MWC, our range of customers vary from an oil refinery to an e-commerce giant to a PSU bank to a National Thermal Power and a Legislative assembly.

As an airport solution, IDEMIA has automated self-service programs based on biometric technology and identity management, increasing passengers’ convenience without compromising security. Changi Airport which has been voted Best Airport in the world more than 6 times, is powered by IDEMIA technology.

We believe that the future of our innovations will only grow from here. The post-pandemic world is looking for secure and efficient digital solutions and we at IDEMIA hope to fill that vacuum as we continue to think about how to make lives better, transactions more secure and identity ironclad and safer at the same time.

Please share information about your Indian operations and what are your investment plans here?

IDEMIA has had an influential presence in India for more than 25 years with a team strength of almost 5000+. Our customer base in India is strong in terms of private players such as financial institutions and mobile operators. We also work with government institutions and security organizations in India. We have an existing R&D base and plan to develop it further.

We plan to continuously invest in Indian R&D, manufacturing and service centres as part of realizing the “Make in India” ambition. At present, we have one of the largest telecoms and payment card production factories in Noida, a Centre of excellence in Bangalore that works around border control biometric devices and service centres in Delhi and Mumbai for the personalisation for financial and connectivity solutions.

Across 11 states, IDEMIA is running operations to improve transportation, mobility and ensuring safer roads. IDEMIA has issued over 90 million driving licenses and oversees operations of 300+ RTOs.

IDEMIA is an integral part of Indian citizens’ lives through the country’s Aadhaar program. Since its inception, we have provided biometric technology through biometric enrolment kits and authentication devices. We are also heading operations for De-Duplication that ensures there is no Aadhaar duplication.

What kind of market verticals are you targeting for your products and solutions in India?

India offers us a plethora of opportunities for innovation, We want to push the boundaries in biometrics, Cloud, AI, IoT and cryptography as well.

We are eyeing the aviation industry and working closely with airport infrastructure. We are also working on the development of tech products in the healthcare sector. In telecom, we are pushing for a wider adaptation of eSIM technology in the IoT segment and sustainable services across fintech organizations. We are also expecting biometrics to play a pivotal role in assisting with border security.

IDEMIA has recently collaborated with ClimateSeed to bring to offer its customers sustainable payment cards.

eSIM is gaining a lot of traction in the telecoms space today. How do you look at developments and trends in this space and what are your offerings here?

Driven by demand from consumers, industry, and a variety of enterprise businesses, the number of devices equipped with aneUICC is growing steadily. Unlike the removable SIM card, aneUICC is embedded in a device at the manufacturing stage – to be configured and managed later via an Over-The-Air connection. As device manufacturers look to optimize their logistics and offer an easy connectivity experience, IDEMIA provides them with eSIM solutions for the seamless management of eUICC cards – offering greater convenience and choice.

We are one of the key stakeholders in evolving M2M/ IoT ecosystems in India and the only one to have the right certification to have our eUICC SIM roll out in India.

IDEMIA’s Smart Connect solution centralizes the activation and provisioning workflows across all operational systems, ensuring seamless eSIM lifecycle management and helps MNOs to manage the eSIM device profile life cycle. We are working with top MNOs in India. With the rapid growth in connected objects in a wide variety of IoT applications including Automotive, IDEMIA’s eSIM solutions enable these objects to be constantly connected and to be securely managed remotely so that no local maintenance is required.