New Delhi, Aug 18: The central government on Thursday announced new rules for SIM verification, discontinuing the provision of issuance of bulk connection, and making verification mandatory for dealers selling SIM cards. The new rules come at a time when the government is working to tackle cyber fraud cases.
Announcing the rules at a press conference, Union minister for communications, electronics and IT, Ashwini Vaishnaw, said the government had deactivated over 52 lakh connections obtained using fraudulent methods. Over 67,000 dealers responsible for facilitating these illicit connections have been blacklisted, with 300 FIRs against those involved in cyber fraud.
“On the occasion of World Telecom Day in May, three customer-focused reforms were released [Central Equipment Identity Register, Know Your Mobile and ASTR]. Now, in addition to that, we have decided to come up with two more reforms. These are purely focused on user protection and reducing cyber fraud cases,” Ashwini Vaishnaw said.
Here are key points from the new rules for SIM verification.
Mandatory verification for vendors
As per the new rules, all SIM card vendors will have to complete police and biometric verification, with mandatory registration. The verification of SIM card dealers will be carried out by the telecom operator and violation of this provision could result in a penalty of up to ₹ 10 lakh.
12 months period for verification
The government has announced a 12-month window for complying with the registration norm for existing sellers. The verification is intended to help in the identification, blocklisting and elimination of rogue sellers from the system.
Demographic data collection
Under the KYC reforms, the demographic details of the customer will be captured by scanning the QR code of the printed Aadhaar in case of taking new SIMs or applying for a fresh SIM on an existing number.
No Bulk Issue Of SIM Cards
The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) had discontinued the provision of bulk connections, replacing it with the concept of business connections. Apart from the KYC verification of businesses, the KYC of the person taking the handover of SIM will also be performed. Individuals can still take up to nine SIMs on the basis of one identification.
Disconnection of SIM
The mobile number will be allocated to a new customer 90 days after the disconnection. In case of replacement, the subscriber will have to complete the KYC process, with a bar of 24 hours on outgoing and incoming SMS facilities.
In the previous set of reforms announced earlier this year, the government launched the Sanchar Saathi portal for reporting stolen or lost mobile handsets and blocking them, and AI-based software ASTR for identifying illegal mobile connections.
