India to enforce SIM card limit with photo verification from Aug. 24

The Indian government has directed telecom operators to strictly enforce a long-standing limit on the number of SIM cards an individual can hold, with new verification measures set to take effect from August 24, 2026. The Department of Telecommunications issued a circular on August 17 instructing service providers to implement technical and organizational measures to identify and deny new connections to subscribers who have already reached the permitted ceiling.

Under the existing rule in place since August 9, 2012, an individual can hold a maximum of nine mobile connections across all operators and licensed service areas in India. This limit is lower in Jammu and Kashmir, Assam, and the North-Eastern states, where the cap is six connections. The new directive does not change this limit but mandates stricter compliance. From August 24, telecom companies must stop issuing new SIM cards to any subscriber who has already reached their maximum allowed connections.

To enforce this, operators will use the government's centralized Digital Intelligence Platform (DIP), which consolidates subscriber data from all telcos. Beginning August 23, the DIP will display a representative...