The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has directed telecom companies to strictly enforce the limit on mobile connections, barring operators from issuing new SIM cards to subscribers who already hold nine connections, according to an official statement released on Thursday.
From August 24, 2026, telecom service providers (TSPs) must implement technical and organisational measures to identify subscribers seeking connections beyond the permitted limit. Operators must inform such customers that they have already reached the maximum number of mobile connections allowed and cannot receive another connection, according to the DoT circular.
The directions also require customers to declare in the Customer Application Form (CAF) the mobile connections registered in their names across different telecom operators and licensed service areas. The respective Licensed Service Areas (LSAs) will handle issues arising from the implementation of these instructions.
The DoT said telecom companies can access details of subscribers who already exceed or have reached the prescribed limit through its Digital Intelligence Platform (DIP).
To help operators identify such subscribers, the DoT will make a representative image of each subscriber who has reached the permitted limit available on the DIP from August 23. The platform uses subscriber information submitted by telecom companies to help operators identify customers who already hold nine SIM cards.
Until operators implement these measures on a post-facto basis, they must immediately suspend any mobile connection activated beyond the prescribed limit for that day, in accordance with the terms of the CAF.
Operators must keep the connection suspended until they resolve the issue related to exceeding the permitted limit.
Under the existing instructions issued on August 9, 2012, individuals can hold a maximum of nine mobile connections across all telecom operators and licensed service areas in India.
However, the government has set a lower limit of six connections for subscribers in Jammu and Kashmir, Assam and the North-East. The DoT now seeks to ensure that telecom companies strictly enforce these limits.