Telcos asked not to ask for Aadhaar-based eKYC for SIMs

The Asian Age.  | Pawan Bali

Business, In Other News

The department has asked operators to delete the column of writing Aadhaar number on CAF for issuing the new mobile connections.

(Representational image)

New Delhi: The telecom department on Friday issued order to telecom service providers to stop using Aadhaar-based eKYC to issue new SIM cards for mobile phones or for re-verification of existing customers.

Telecom companies have been asked to ensure implementation of the order across the country and submit compliance report to telecom department by 5th November 2018.

“In compliance to the judgment of Supreme Court, all licensees are to discontinue the use of Aadhaar e-KYC service of UIDAI both for verification as well as for issuing new mobile connections,” said the order.

Telecom department order comes after reports that telecom service providers were still using Aadhaar-based eKYC to issue new SIM even after a month  the Supreme Court prohibited its use.

The department has asked operators to delete the column of writing Aadhaar number on Customer Acquisition Forms (CAF) for issuing the new mobile connections.

The order said that telecom operators during a meeting on 5th October had suggested an alternate digital process of KYC of mobile subscribers which envisages CAF to be embedded with live photographs of subscriber and scanned images of Proof of identity (PoI) and Proof of Address (PoA).

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