New SIM Card Rules in India: DoT Sets Limits and Real-Time Verification Guidelines
Telecom companies must block mobile connections exceeding the permitted limit starting August 24, moving to real-time checks by November 30.
Quick Look
The Department of Telecommunications in India has directed telecom operators to enforce SIM card limits starting August 24, using subscriber photographs to prevent individuals from exceeding permitted mobile connections.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
Under existing DoT rules, individuals can hold a maximum of nine mobile connections nationwide, with a limit of six in Jammu and Kashmir, Assam, and the North-East.
SIM card rules are set to change from August 24, with telecom companies being asked to stop people from getting mobile connections beyond the permitted limit.
In a circular, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has directed telecom operators to identify customers who already have the maximum number of SIM cards allowed in their name. Such customers will be informed that they cannot get another mobile connection. The new system will initially work on a post-facto basis, but operators have been told to move to real-time checks by November 30.
Under the existing DoT rules, an individual can have a maximum of nine mobile connections in their name across telecom operators and licensed service areas in India. However, the limit is lower in some regions. Customers in Jammu and Kashmir, Assam and the North-East can have up to six mobile connections. From August 24, telecom companies will have to take steps to identify customers trying to get another SIM after reaching this limit. The DoT has directed operators to tell such customers that they have already reached the maximum number of mobile connections allowed and that a new connection cannot be issued.
The new system will use subscriber photographs to help telecom companies identify people who have already reached the permitted SIM limit. The DoT will make representative images of subscribers who have reached the maximum limit available on the Digital Intelligence Platform (DIP) from August 23. Telecom operators will have to download these images every day and use them to identify customers attempting to obtain additional mobile connections. The DoT said, “From 24.8.2026 onward, TSPs shall take appropriate technical and organisational measures to identify each subscriber who seeks to obtain mobile connections beyond the prescribed limit…”
Initially, the system will work on a post-facto basis. This means telecom operators can carry out the verification after a new connection has been enrolled. If a connection is activated beyond the permitted limit during a day, it will have to be immediately suspended until the issue is resolved. The government has also asked telecom companies to move towards a real-time system so that excess connections can be identified and stopped during the enrolment and activation process.
Here is the maximum number of mobile connections an individual can hold:
Most parts of India: 9 mobile connections
Jammu and Kashmir: 6 mobile connections
Assam: 6 mobile connections
North-East: 6 mobile connections
Customers also have to declare the mobile connections already held in their name across different telecom operators and licensed service areas in the Customer Application Form (CAF).
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Telecom operators must implement real-time SIM verification checks by November 30.
Very likely · Within months
Open Questions
- How will operators handle existing excess SIM cards issued before the deadline?
