{"id":629094,"date":"2026-02-17T13:59:03","date_gmt":"2026-02-17T11:59:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/?p=629094"},"modified":"2026-02-17T13:59:53","modified_gmt":"2026-02-17T11:59:53","slug":"people-buying-devices-from-mtn-running-into-delivery-problems","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/security\/629094-people-buying-devices-from-mtn-running-into-delivery-problems.html","title":{"rendered":"People buying devices from MTN running into delivery problems"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

MTN has denied that its biometric verification system, used to authenticate users taking delivery of devices, is failing to identify customers frequently enough to be a problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MyBroadband recently received a report from an MTN customer who upgraded their contract via MTN’s call centre on 22 December 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He subsequently received an SMS from the courier company stating that it would contact him regarding the delivery of the device and that he had to have his RICA documents ready.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another SMS explained that MTN would require the registered account holder to provide their fingerprint biometrics and a one-time PIN from their registered phone number to take delivery of the device.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The delivery was scheduled for 5 January 2026. However, the customer’s fingerprint was not accepted by the reader.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The courier told the customer that the system frequently failed to authenticate users and that they could not hand over the device in such cases. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The courier said MTN would contact the customer to arrange for another delivery attempt with manual identification using their ID document.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, the customer received no further communication from either the courier company or MTN, despite calls to the courier and network’s call centres. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

MyBroadband subsequently discovered several complaints on Facebook<\/a> and Hellopeter<\/a> from other MTN customers who had experienced the same issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In multiple cases, customers also reported not hearing back from the courier company or MTN and complained about the operator’s consultants sending them in transfer “loops”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was only after he reported the issue to MyBroadband and we raised it with the network that he received feedback.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 3 February 2026, he received an SMS confirming his order was returned to a warehouse on 6 January 2026. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The operator subsequently contacted the customer and arranged for an alternative in-store upgrade process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MTN South Africa told MyBroadband it was sorry to hear of the customer’s experience and that it never intended for any customer to be inconvenienced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vast majority of authentications not a problem <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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A portable fingerprint reader developed by the CSIR<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The company said that its secure, real-time biometric identity verification process was linked to Home Affairs’ national population database and aimed to safeguard customers against identity theft and fraud.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“This involves encrypted authentication conducted through the courier’s device, which compares the presented identity to the official records,” MTN said. “No biometric information is stored.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Given the rise in identity theft attempts in South Africa, biometric verification remains one of the most reliable safeguards for high\u2011value deliveries.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to MTN, the system has recorded an accuracy and success rate of approximately 95%, meaning that the biometric verification process is completed without any issues in most cases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the exceptional cases, authentication failures can occur due to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n