Private companies limited to 100 SIM cards at a time

Pathanamthitta: Private companies are now limited to acquiring only 100 SIM cards at a time under new restrictions introduced by the Telecom Department. This change, aimed at curbing online scams, allows only issuance of 100 SIM cards at the most for company use as requested by the Managing Director (MD) or a designated representative.

Under the new rules, companies must apply for SIM cards in batches of up to 100, and further requests must be made on different days. The SIM cards will be issued only after verifying the MD's or designee's Aadhaar number, taking their photograph, and confirming their identity through face detection technology linked to the Aadhar database.

Previously, companies could acquire an unlimited number of SIM cards with minimal oversight, and there was no tracking of card usage. The updated procedure now mandates that employees using these bulk-issued SIM cards complete a self-KYC (Know Your Customer) process through their phones. They will receive a link on their SIM card for this purpose. The SIM card will be activated only after the mobile company receives and verifies the KYC information.