New Telecom Act to come into effect from June 26; maximum 9 SIM cards per person

New Delhi: The new provisions in the Telecommunications Act 2023, including restrictions on the number of SIM cards an individual can use at a time, will come into effect on June 26. According to the notification issued by the Central government in this regard, one person can have a maximum of only nine SIM cards in his/her name. Meanwhile, the number is limited to six for residents of Jammu Kashmir and northeast states.

Anyone using more than the stipulated number of SIM cards from June 26 could invite a fine of Rs 50,000 to 2 lakh. While the fine would be Rs 50,000 for a first-time breach of the law, the amount would increase to Rs 2 lakh for every repeat violation.

If a SIM card is obtained by deceiving someone and using their identification documents, the penalty could be three years of imprisonment, a fine of up to 50 lakh rupees, or both.
Additionally, if commercial messages are sent without the user's consent, the telecom company will face a fine of up to 2 lakh rupees and may also be banned from providing services.

Other new rules

Meanwhile, the punishment for fraudulently obtaining a SIM with another person’s identity documents would be three year-imprisonment, a fine of Rs 50 lakh or both.

Another new provision says that telecom companies/networks could be slapped with a fine of Rs 2 lakh or even imposed with a ban on their services for sending commercial messages to a customer without obtaining consent.

At the same time, the government can give permission to telecom companies to install mobile towers or draw telecom cables in private properties despite objections from the land owner, if the government officials are convinced that such work cannot be avoided.

Yet another rule gives powers to the government to instruct telecom firms to intercept as well as block messages and calls when national security is under threat or during an emergency. However, messages sent for news purposes by journalists having state and Central accreditation cannot be brought under surveillance. Even then, the messages and calls by accredited media-persons could be monitored and blocked if their news reports pose a threat to national security.

Punishment

The new rules suggest the following punishments for various violations:

Snooping on messages and calls and offering parallel telecom services: Three-year imprisonment, a fine of Rs 2 crore or both.

Possession of illegal wireless equipment: Fine of Rs 50,000 to Rs 2 lakh.

Possession of unauthorized devices that can block telecom services: Three-year imprisonment, a fine of Rs 50 lakh or both.

Violation of laws related to national security: Imprisonment for three years, a fine of Rs 2 crore or both. The services/networks could also be banned.

For causing damage to telecom services: Fine up to Rs 50 lakh.