New Delhi. To stop the increasing misuse of mobile connections and fraud through fake SIMs, the Department of Telecommunications has increased the strictness regarding the rules. Under the new instructions, if a person has more than the prescribed limit of SIM cards in his name, the additional connection can be stopped.
One person can have maximum 9 SIMs
As per the current rules of the Department of Telecommunications, a person can have a maximum of 9 SIM cards in his name in general areas. Whereas in Jammu-Kashmir, Assam and some areas of North-East this limit is 6 SIMs. If more than the prescribed number of connections are found in the name of a person, a process will be adopted to identify the additional SIMs and block them.
Surveillance will increase from August 23
For this, the Department of Telecommunications will provide information to telecom companies through Digital Intelligence Platform (DIP). From August 23, 2026, companies will use this data to identify additional SIMs and be careful in issuing new connections. After this, if more SIMs are found in a person's name than the limit, action can be taken against the connections issued after the limit.
Real time investigation from November
The government has instructed telecom companies to implement this system in real time later. By November 30, 2026, the target is to prepare the system in such a way that at the time of issuing a new SIM, it can be checked how many mobile connections already exist in the name of the applicant.
Fake SIM will be controlled
The main objective of the government is to control such mobile connections which are used for cyber fraud and other illegal activities. This system can be helpful in preventing cases of misuse of SIM by taking it in the name of another person.
Along with this, the government is also working on a facility like CNAP i.e. Calling Name Presentation. Through this, in some circumstances, when a call is received, the name of the concerned customer with KYC record may be visible along with the number. This is also expected to help in identifying unknown calls.