InFocus to launch Aadhaar-enabled smartphone in India

US-based handset maker InFocus will soon launch a new smartphone in India that will support Aadhaar authentication using the iris scanner on the device. Priced at under Rs 12,000, the device will be made available early next year. InFocus has been awarded STQC (Standardization Testing and Quality Certification) from the Indian government and the company plans to launch more device supporting Aadhaar authentication in the future. STQC certification authenticates the use of Iris- recognition devices, used for biometric authentication linked under the Aadhaar project.

"InFocus smartphone features IriTech's superior iris image quality assessment and on-board K7 generation algorithm to provide good quality images and avoid false positives while maximising true positive identification rates," InFocus India Country Head Sachin Thapar told PTI. Apart from UIDAI, IriTech also works with government agencies in the US, Kenya and Columbia. The smartphone with embedded algorithm can complete an image capture and K7 image generation in less than 2 seconds.

It can capture the iris image under various environments, including under direct sunlight. "Moreover, the biometric data from the InFocus device gets encrypted by a UIDAI key at the chip level in device, making it impossible for anyone but the Aadhaar server to see the information. Such encryption prevents information leakage of all kinds," he said. Thapar said there is a great potential in the integration of iris recognition technology in a ubiquitous device like smartphone. 

"While the M425 will be made available in the next 2-3 months, we will bring more devices with this technology as we have received the certification," he added. Currently, Samsung is the only phone maker to have already embedded Delta ID's ActiveIRIS technology in its Galaxy Tab Iris. Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has held discussions with handset makers and operating system providers to embed the identification technology onto their devices. The availability of smart devices that are Aadhaar-enabled will help people authenticate their Aadhaar biometrics on the phone itself to avail of various government schemes, subsidies and services. 

"The InFocus Aadhaar-enabled iris smartphone is a great example of the innovation possible on the Aadhaar platform. The phone is timely as it can be used for applications like opening instant bank accounts with eKYC and as a cashless microATM for merchant payments. This will accelerate JAM (Jan Dhan-Aadhaar-Mobile) implementation," said Nandan Nilekani, former Chairman of UIDAI. The M425 is a 4G-VoLTE enabled smartphone, powered by 1.5 GHz quad-core processor. The dual SIM phone features 4.5-inch display, 1GB RAM, 8GB internal memory (expandable up to 64GB) and 2,300mAh battery.

Stating that the device can be used as a secure and reliable biometric solution in various arenas like banking, E-PDS (Electronic Public Distribution System), MNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural employment Guarantee Act) payments, E-governance services such as passport, taxation, healthcare and education, Thapar said this also represents a huge leap towards facilitating biometric identification. "It also eliminates use of any separate devices for biometric identification," he added.