TRAI amends new SIM card replacement rules for porting mobile devices from July 1

New Delhi: Telecom regulator Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on June 28 said changes in Mobile Number Portability (MNP) rules aimed at checking SIM swap and exchange frauds will come into effect from July 1.

“On March 14, 2024, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) issued the Mobile Number Portability (Ninth Amendment) Regulation, 2024, which will come into force from July 1, 2024,” the regulator added in a statement.

As per TRAI, SIM swap or replacement means the process of an existing subscriber purchasing a new SIM card in place of a lost or non-functional SIM card.

As per TRAI rules, users can also opt for Mobile Number Portability (MNP) service, which allows them to retain their mobile number in case they switch from one access provider to another access provider in the country.

In order to improve the MNP process, the Mobile Number Portability Regulations 2009 have been amended eight times in the past.

TRAI has also decided to introduce an additional criterion for rejection of an application for allotment of Unique Porting Code through these amendment regulations. It further mandates that UPC shall not be allotted if the application for UPC is made before expiry of seven days from the date of SIM card replacement or mobile number replacement, which was earlier ten days.

In an explanatory note, the telecoms regulator said that while some stakeholders considered a 10-day waiting period following a SIM swap or replacement to be appropriate, others argued that a shorter waiting period, such as two to four days, would be more reasonable and that a 10-day waiting period could cause inconvenience to subscribers, particularly in the case of an urgent porting request.

“These amendment laws aim to curb portability of mobile numbers through fraudulent swapping/swapping of SIM cards by dishonest people, TRAI added. (OR)

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