The rules for SIM cards are changing starting from January 1. If you use a phone, it’s essential for you to know about these new rules, especially if you have basic English skills.
In India, people can now get new SIM cards without filling out paper forms.
According to a recent message from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), the old way of verifying customer information using paper forms will stop from January 1, 2024.
From January 1, when you want to buy a SIM card, you will only need to do a digital KYC.
Before, they used to physically check your documents. With the new system, getting a SIM card will be faster and easier for people.
The decision to stop using paper-based KYC is expected to reduce cases of SIM fraud and lower costs for telecom companies.
Before, customers had to fill out a form, put a photo, and attach proof of identity and address for the paper-based customer verification system.
If you needed a replacement SIM, the KYC process had to finish within 24 hours of using SMS.
Other rules for SIM cards
The Department of Telecommunications had said that telecom companies must digitally verify all SIM users, and they are responsible for police verification.
If they don’t follow these changes, dealers might have to pay a fine up to Rs 10 lakh.
Also, the DoT is stopping mobile connections for people with more than 9 SIM cards under one identity to prevent fraud. A person can have a maximum of nine connections.
