ARTICLE AD BOX
New Delhi: Jyotiraditya Scindia, who is the Communications minister, has recently announced that SIM binding has now become the need of the day, and the reason behind this is the national security considerations. Now the SIM binding regulation stands, and they hope all of the service providers will come on board.
The department of telecommunications has earlier asked the messaging platforms such as WhatsApp, Telegram, Snapchat, Signal, and Arattai to enable the SIM binding, which is going to ensure that all of these platforms only work when there is a functional SIM.
This shift focuses on curbing the rising instances of online fraud and those popular digital arrest scams. Under the SIM binding, the messaging application account will be linked exclusively to the physical SIM card that is used during registration. This generally means that the account will work only if the registered SIM is present in the device.
The fraudsters often duplicate mobile numbers or misuse OTPs to break into accounts from secondary devices. This latest system is expected to curb these illegal access attempts significantly.
Messaging applications must ensure the continued linkage between the users’ accounts and an active SIM card. The government has offered companies until February 28, 2026, a 90-day compliance period to implement the changes. The violations could attract penalties under the Telecommunications Act, 2023, and the Telecom Cyber Security Rules.
The currently running system, where the OTP verification enables the applications to function even after the SIM is removed, for the latest framework mandates continuous SIM validation. The rules will impact users who are roaming, so long as their SIM remains active in their devices.
English (US) ·