SIM cards will be issued with new rules starting December 1, 2023. The Indian government, keeping in mind the safety of the consumers, have made changes to the rules revolving around SIM card issue in the country. The changes were supposed to come into effect from Oct 1, 2023, but it was postponed by two months. With the new rules in effect, there should be a noticeable positive change in the cyber crimes that take place within the country. The government has introduced these new rules to ensure that the common citizen is safe. The new rules around SIM cards talk about bulk issuing, who can issue new SIMs and more. Let's go over the new rules now.
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New SIM Card Rules: What You Should Know
The new rules take into account that more details about the customer who is purchasing the SIM should be collected. This would help the authorities track down the person related to the SIM if need be.
If you purchase SIM cards for existing numbers, then you will be asked to submit the Aadhaar and demographic data. Further, the person you purchase the SIM from will have to undergo verification. The government has made it mandatory for SIM dealers to be verified along with registering the SIM cards they are trying to sell. If there's a failure to comply with the new rules, then the government can put a penalty of up to Rs 10,00,000 or Rs 10 lakh.
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The new rules also talk about bulk issuing of SIM cards. If you are an individual, then you can only get SIM cards in bulk if you try to get it through a business connection. For normal users, the upper limit for SIM cards is still kept at 9 on one ID. Then, if you are getting your SIM deactivated, it will not be allocated to another user for the next 90 days. Until that time, the user can delete all the data associated with the number. Lastly, if any of the SIM-selling vendors are not registered by November 30, they will have to pay a fine of up to Rs 10 lakh and there are also chances of imprisonment.
