Soon, mobile subscribers will have their own ID

The government will soon provide each mobile subscriber with a unique customer ID that will serve as their single point of identification for all things pertaining to both their primary and supplementary phone connections. The Department of Telecommunications is finalizing the move, which will shield users from cyberfrauds and give targeted customers government-sponsored financial benefits.

The 14-digit Ayushman Bharat Digital Health Account (ABHA) health ID, which is linked to the Aadhaar card and makes it easy to access medical records as well as provide instant access to medical information for medical professionals like insurers and doctors, is conceptually very similar to this one.

Among other things, the mobile customer ID can be used to easily identify who owns the SIM cards, track SIM cards on a single ID, and locate locations from where users purchased SIM cards.

The action will also verify that no more SIM cards are issued to a single customer than the nine that are allowed. At the moment, only when the telecom department at different licensed service areas (LSAs) conducts audits using artificial intelligence (AI)-based facial recognition technology is information about connections beyond permissible limits evaluated.

Furthermore, the government is anticipated to request that subscribers identify the family members who will genuinely use the SIM card at the time of SIM card acquisition in order to address the issue of user identity. According to officials, the same is being considered as a way to significantly assist telcos in complying with the data protection law’s verifiable parental consent clause in cases involving children’s data.