Do You Have Multiple SIM Cards? Know What Govt Plans To Do With Such Connections

The order comes from DoT to keep a check on financial crimes, pesky calls, automated calls and fraudulent activities.

New Delhi: In a latest order issued by the Centre, the phone connections of people with more than nine sim cards will be disconnected in case of non-verification. The department of telecommunications (DoT) has issued an order to re-verify the SIM of subscribers holding beyond nine connections across India and six connections in the case of Jammu and Kashmir, North East and Assam.

What did the government order say?

All other connections except for one will be deactivated in case of non-verification. The subscribers will have the option to choose the connection they want to retain and deactivate the rest of the connections, according to the order issued on December 7, as per news agency PTI.

"If during the data analytics carried out by DoT, it is found that an individual subscriber is having more than nine mobile connections (six in the case of J&K, NE and Assam LSAs) across all the TSPs (telecom service providers), all the mobile connections will be flagged for re-verification," the DoT order said.

What is the reason behind this order?

The order comes from DoT to keep a check on financial crimes, pesky calls, automated calls and fraudulent activities. The DoT has asked telecom operators to remove all the flagged mobile connections from the database that are not in use as per the rule.

When is the timeframe for disconnection?

The outgoing (including data services) facilities of the "flagged mobile connection shall be suspended within 30 days" and "the incoming service shall be suspended within 45 days" in case subscriber has turned up for verification and exercises his option to surrender, transfer to disconnect mobile connections.

In failure of the subscriber turning up for re-verification, the flagged number will be deactivated within 60 days to be counted from December 7. "In case of a subscriber who is on international roaming or with physical disability or hospitalisation, additional 30 days will be provided...," the order said.

However, if the number has been flagged by any law enforcement agencies or financial institution or identified as a pesky caller then the outgoing facilities will be suspended within five days, incoming within 10 days and complete disconnection within 15 days in case no one turns up for verification.

"The said timelines shall be regularly intimated by the TSPs to the subscribers of flagged mobile connections via SMSs/IVRS/e-mail/app or any other available methods. The subscribers shall also be regularly intimated about the reason for barring of services," the order said.