Strcit verification to affect new additions

Posted on | June 11, 2006 |

The stricter mobile connection verification norms put in place from June 1 this year are likely to affect new subscriber additions, particularly in smaller towns and rural India where many people do not have proper proof of identity and rely on others to sign up for them.

The enormity of the exercise, which the operators admit is prompted by genuine concerns of national security, can be gauged from the fact that over 93% of all new mobile connections use pre-paid facility.

Mobile phone operators have been asked to strictly comply with the new procedure for verifying a prospective subscriber’s identity. They will have to start disconnecting new users at the end of the 14 day period if their verification does not come through. Millions of existing pre-paid users will also need to get their identity verified and this huge task has to be completed by October-end this year.

Although government has been pushing for implementation of subscriber verification since last year, the Haryana episode of large scale forged identities seems to have precipitated the situation.

Source: Business Standard

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