DoT to use subscriber photos to enforce nine-SIM limit
India's Telecom Regulator Turns to Subscriber Photos to Cap SIM Cards at Nine
Bharatmorningnews.com – The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has announced that it will deploy subscriber photographs as a tool for tracking individuals who have hit the ceiling on mobile connections registered under their names, thereby blocking any further SIM issuance.
How the Photo-Based Check Will Operate
A circular dated August 17, reviewed by HT, outlines the mechanism. The ministry's Digital Intelligence Platform (DIP) will aggregate and categorise every mobile connection an individual holds across all telecom service providers (TSPs). Within that platform, a dedicated image repository will store photographs of subscribers carrying nine or more active SIMs.
Under the subscriber verification guidelines first issued in 2012, a person may hold no more than nine mobile connections spanning every telecom operator and service area. That ceiling drops to six for subscribers located in Jammu and Kashmir, Assam, and the North-Eastern states.
Beginning August 23, a "representative image of the photo" tied to each subscriber who has reached the permitted threshold will be pushed to telecom operators through the DIP. Operators are required to pull these images on a daily basis. Starting August 24, they must deploy systems capable of matching a subscriber requesting yet another connection against the photograph stored on the platform. Upon a match, the subscriber will be told the maximum number of connections has already been reached and no additional line can be provisioned.
"A representative image of the photo" means one photograph associated with a subscriber who holds multiple mobile connections, which will be used to help telecom operators identify that subscriber across connections.
The DoT circular notes that, during an initial transition window, operators may run these checks on a next-day cycle rather than at the moment a new SIM is handed out. Any SIM activated beyond the allowed cap during that interim period will be suspended without delay. The ministry has directed all telecom operators to fold photo-based identification into their enrolment and activation workflows on a real-time basis no later than November 30.
Stated Rationale and Industry Consultation
In justifying the move, DoT explained the guidelines were issued "in order to address the difficulties being faced by service providers having access service license or authorisation (hereinafter referred to as TSPs) in identifying such subscriber who has either already obtained or seeking to obtain mobile connections beyond the prescribed limit." The ministry added that "extensive deliberations" took place with TSPs before the rules were finalised.
A Wider Biometric Verification Framework in the Works
In a parallel development, the government is expected to notify the Telecommunications (User Identification) Rules, 2025 within the current week. Those draft rules would introduce a biometric-based architecture for identifying telecom users. Under the proposal, each person would receive a unique user ID linked to every telecom connection they hold across operators. Telecom companies would be obligated to employ live photographs or other designated biometric attributes during verification. The framework would also permit real-time identity checks across operators, mandate re-verification in scenarios such as SIM replacement and number porting, and grant the government the authority to audit the system and request user-identification records.
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