BSNL Unable to Issue SIM Cards Nationwide After Vendor Pulls the Plug on Key App: Report

State-run telecom operator Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has been unable to deliver any SIM card–related services for the past few days, halting customer onboarding nationwide since December 1. The outage has prevented the issuance of new and duplicate SIM cards, causing widespread inconvenience to subscribers, according to a Mathrubhumi [1] report dated December 5, 2025.

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Sanchaar Aadhaar App Taken Offline After Unpaid Dues

The disruption began after Sanchaar Aadhaar, the mobile application used by BSNL staff for capturing customer details and processing SIM requests, went offline. The app’s developer, a private company named Intense, reportedly discontinued services at midnight on November 30 after BSNL failed to clear four months of dues. The contract with the firm, renewed annually, had lapsed at the end of November.

“Staff members are trying to calm frustrated customers, saying the app used to issue SIM cards is down and that the outage is affecting BSNL operations nationwide,” the report [1] added.

BSNL Staff Cite Non-Functional Replacement App

Applicants seeking new SIM cards or replacements have repeatedly been asked to “come back after a few days,” with no clear timeline provided for resolution. BSNL unions claim it is a nationwide issue, DT Next [2] reported on December 7, 2025.

BSNL sources were quoted in the report [2] as saying that, “the contract of the company operating Sanchar Aadhaar expired on November 30 and has not been renewed by the BSNL. The new indigenous system, Sanchar Mitra, introduced to replace it, is also not functioning. As a result, BSNL’s customer service centres across the city [Chennai], including those inside telephone exchanges, have been unable to issue new SIMs, replacement SIMs or 4G upgrade SIMs.”