A person is prohibited from switching to a new telecom provider for seven days if they receive a new physical SIM card........
Digital desk: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on March 15, released modifications that prohibit subscribers who have recently updated their SIM card from transferring their network provider.
Based on recommendations from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), the Authority produced the Draft Telecommunication Mobile Number Portability (Ninth Amendment) Regulations, 2023.
A person is prohibited from switching to a new telecom provider for seven days if they receive a new physical SIM card as a result of their previous one being stolen, lost, or destroyed. They have the option to switch service providers after this time.
There have been cases of misuse of Mobile Number Portability (MNP) and SIM replacement, which has raised the danger of fraud, according to TRAI, which is why they implemented these regulations to stop fraudulent SIM replacements in India.
Although the TRAI did not elaborate on how con artists take advantage of this, it is widely known that SIM card cloning fraud frequently happens during MNP and SIM replacement.
The initial step in transferring providers utilizing MNP, the "unique porting code" (UPC), is prohibited by the regulations for telecom companies to issue. This modification attempts to make it more difficult for scammers to transfer mobile connections immediately following SIM swapping or replacement while posing as new customers.
In order to prevent any potential abuse of the porting system, the new regulations give users time to activate their new SIM. Users who do not have a new SIM card can still port freely, but they can only do so once every ninety days. They can't switch again for ninety days after the initial switch.
These regulations underwent consultation with stakeholders and subsequent adjustments based on their feedback. After considering proposals from various stakeholders regarding wait periods following SIM swap or replacement, the Authority has decided on implementing a seven-day wait period, aiming to strike a balance between fraud prevention and subscriber convenience.
Despite stakeholders arguing against porting restrictions for SIM upgrades citing existing Department of Telecommunications (DoT) guidelines ensuring customer authentication, the Authority concluded that the current DoT guidelines are sufficient in preventing fraudulent practices during SIM upgrades, thus opting not to impose porting restrictions.
Instead, the Authority introduced a criterion rejecting Unique Porting Code (UPC) requests made before seven days post-SIM swap or replacement. The implementation of these decisions is scheduled for July 1, 2024, necessitating modifications in telecommunication systems. Additionally, the DoT has suggested incorporating demographic details matching before permitting porting, while stakeholders have underscored the importance of machine-based validation of demographic details, currently under examination by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).
The Authority has invited stakeholders to address further concerns regarding mobile number porting, promising thorough examination for potential improvements. Overall, these measures aim to enhance security and convenience in the mobile telecommunications sector.
This measure is a component of TRAI's ongoing efforts to address the issue of spam calls. Prior actions included mandating that companies deliver transactional SMS messages in a registered format and setting up a do-not-disturb registry for customers to prevent spam.
TRAI also suggested, in spite of privacy concerns, a feature that would show callers' registered names on the phones of the recipients. Chakshu, a platform for reporting suspected fraudulent communications, was recently introduced by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT).
To avoid misuse, TRAI is taking into consideration a DoT recommendation to strengthen Know Your Customer (KYC) procedures for porting. Right now, porting merely requires having an unblocked SIM.
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