KUALA LUMPUR (July 2): Pertama Digital Bhd (KL:PERTAMA) has secured a contract to provide public online digital identity (ID) onboarding registration services for the national digital ID platform, MyDigital ID.

The digital solutions provider said the contract was awarded to its subsidiary Dapat Vista (M) Sdn Bhd by My Digital ID Sdn Bhd.

"Dapat is responsible and accountable for user support and the continuous availability of the service," Pertama Digital said.

The duration of the contract is four months, with an option to extend for an additional three months.

While the value of the deal was not disclosed, Pertama Digital said the contract is expected to contribute positively to the future earnings of the group and strengthen its net asset position over the duration of the contract.

MyDigital ID is a government initiative to establish a platform under Mimos Bhd, an agency under the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, to be used to verify and authenticate one's digital identity. It does not replace the MyKad but serves as an extension to verify Malaysians' identities online.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was reported to be the first person in Malaysia to have a digital ID.

Last year, the government allocated RM80 million to Mimos to speed up the implementation of the digital ID, empower digital transformation and develop digital initiatives specifically involving dealings with the government.

The platform is expected to be made available to the general public by this month, said Mimos' chief of techno-venture Dr Saat Shukri Embong last December, after it has been rolled out to Cabinet members, civil servants and government beneficiaries like subsidy receivers.

Last month, engineering and construction services group PJBumi Bhd (KL:PJBUMI) was also awarded a contract to provide physical onboarding services for MyDigital ID. The contract value is RM100,000 for 500 units of touch-point device setup and RM1.70 for every successful physical onboarding to MyDigital ID.

Shares of Pertama Digital closed five sen, or 2.15%, lower at RM2.28 on Tuesday, with a market capitalisation of RM990.43 million.