The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has issued a new directive to all telecom service providers, mandating that they decline requests for new SIM cards from customers who have already reached the threshold of nine active mobile connections. This regulatory move is designed to tighten oversight of mobile subscriptions and ensure compliance with existing national telecom policies.

According to the government, the primary objective of this measure is to improve the ability of telecom operators to track subscriber data more effectively. By flagging individuals who attempt to acquire additional connections beyond the prescribed limit, the government intends to curb potential misuse of mobile services. The directive requires companies to integrate their verification systems to identify users who have already hit the nine-connection cap. While the government frames this as a necessary step for security and administrative efficiency, the move effectively limits the number of mobile accounts a single individual can maintain under their identity. Telecom operators are now expected to update their onboarding processes to automatically reject applications that violate this rule, ensuring that the database of active users remains within the government's specified parameters.