The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) under the Ministry of Communications has announced that the Telecommunication Mobile Number Portability (Ninth Amendment) Regulations, 2024, will come into effect from July 1, 2024. Aimed at thwarting fraudulent practices involving SIM swaps or replacements, these regulations introduce stringent measures to safeguard consumers.
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Key Provision of the Amendment
Under the new amendments, TRAI has included a crucial provision: requests for a Unique Porting Code (UPC) will be rejected if made within seven days of a SIM swap or replacement. This precautionary step seeks to prevent unauthorised individuals from exploiting the porting process immediately after obtaining a new SIM card through fraudulent means.
TRAI's Statement on the New Rules
"These amendment regulations are aimed at curbing the porting of mobile numbers by way of fraudulent SIM swap/replacement by unscrupulous elements. Through these amendment regulations, an additional criterion for the rejection of the request for allocation of a Unique Porting Code (UPC) has been introduced. Specifically, a UPC shall Not be allocated if the request for the UPC has been made before the expiry of seven days from the date of SIM swap/replacement," TRAI said in a statement on Friday.
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These regulatory changes are expected to bolster consumer trust and integrity in the telecommunications sector.
