If you have multiple mobile numbers registered in your name, a new directive from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) may affect you. The DoT has directed telecom operators to prevent subscribers
from obtaining additional mobile connections once they have reached a maximum of nine mobile connections in their name across all telecom operators and service areas in India.
Under the DoT’s rules, which will come into effect from August 24, 2026, an individual can have a maximum of nine mobile connections registered in their name across all telecom operators. This means the limit is not nine SIM cards per telecom company. For example, if you have 4 Airtel numbers, 3 Jio numbers, and 2 Vi numbers, it means you have a total of 9 mobile connections in your name and have reached the permitted limit.
You cannot treat each telecom operator separately and have another nine connections with a different operator.
“From 24.8.2026 onward, TSPs shall take appropriate technical and organisational measures to identify each subscriber who seeks to obtain mobile connections beyond the prescribed limit using the representative image of the photo of a subscriber….and communicate to him that he already has maximum number of mobile connections permitted to an individual and accordingly, a new mobile connection cannot be provided to him,” said the Ministry of Communications and the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) in a circular.
DoT’s subscriber-reverification instructions state that an individual customer can subscribe to a maximum of nine mobile connections “across all the Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) across all the Licensed Service Areas (LSAs)”.
Lower Limit in J&K, Assam, N-E LSA
For most of India, the limit is nine mobile connections. However, a lower limit of six connections applies in Jammu & Kashmir, Assam and the North-East Licensed Service Areas. So, for a person covered by the six-connection limit, having seven or more mobile connections in their name would exceed the prescribed limit.
What has DoT changed now?
The latest development is about enforcement. In a circular dated August 17, 2026, DoT directed telecom service providers to put systems in place to identify subscribers who try to obtain mobile connections beyond the prescribed limit.
The directive says that from August 24, telecom operators must identify such subscribers and inform them that they have already reached the maximum number of mobile connections permitted to an individual and, therefore, cannot be provided another connection.
In other words, if you already have nine mobile numbers registered in your name, a telecom company should not simply issue you a 10th number.
How will telecom companies know how many SIMs you have?
This is where the Digital Intelligence Platform (DIP) comes in. The DoT’s DIP uses subscriber information submitted by telecom operators. The latest directive requires operators to use the platform to help identify people who have already reached the permitted limit.
From August 23, a representative image of subscribers who have reached the maximum permitted number of connections will be made available through the platform. Telecom operators will use the information to help identify a person attempting to obtain another connection.
The move is aimed at making it more difficult for someone to obtain additional SIM cards by moving between different telecom operators.
What if you already have more than nine SIM cards?
Having more than nine connections does not mean that all your numbers will suddenly stop working on August 24. DoT has had rules for dealing with subscribers who exceed the permitted limit for several years. Its subscriber-reverification instructions say that connections beyond the permitted number are in contravention of the existing guidelines.
The instructions tell subscribers with excess connections to surrender, transfer or disconnect the numbers needed to bring their total within the permitted limit. They also provide that, if the excess connections are not removed, the numbers acquired later can be disconnected first.
DoT’s earlier instructions state that if an individual is found to have more than nine connections, the connections activated from the 10th onwards can be ordered for disconnection to bring the total back within the prescribed limit.
So, if you discover that several old or unused SIMs are registered in your name, it is better to get them disconnected or transferred where permitted rather than simply ignoring them.
What if a SIM is registered in my name but someone else is using it?
This is one of the reasons why checking the mobile connections registered against your identity is important. You may have taken a SIM years ago and stopped using it, while another person may still have access to it. Alternatively, a number may have been issued using your documents without your knowledge.
DoT’s Sanchar Saathi system allows subscribers to check mobile connections issued in their name and report connections that they do not recognise. DoT has been using data analytics and artificial intelligence to identify potentially fraudulent mobile connections and conduct reverification where necessary.
This is particularly relevant because an unwanted mobile connection registered in your name can potentially create problems if it is misused.
Can I have nine SIMs from different companies?
Yes. The nine-connection limit is calculated across telecom service providers. So, for example, you could legally have a combination such as: Jio + Airtel + Vi + BSNL = 9 total mobile connections
The important number is the combined total registered in your name, not the number held with each individual operator.
Can you get a 10th SIM if you surrender one of your existing numbers?
Yes, provided your total number of connections comes back within the applicable limit. For example, suppose you have nine active connections and want a new number. You could first disconnect one of your existing connections. Once your total falls to eight, you would generally be within the nine-connection limit for obtaining another connection, subject to the operator’s normal KYC and other requirements.
The key is the number of connections registered in your name, rather than how many SIM cards you physically possess.
What happens to a SIM issued beyond the limit?
DoT’s latest directive says that, until operators fully implement the new process, any mobile connection activated beyond the prescribed limit can be immediately suspended until the issue is resolved.
The department has asked telecom operators to initially implement the identification process on a post-facto basis and subsequently integrate it into their subscriber enrolment and activation systems on a real-time basis. The operators have been asked to streamline the process with the DIP by November 30, 2026.
That means enforcement is expected to become more seamless over time: instead of discovering the excess connection after activation, operators will increasingly be able to identify the subscriber while a new SIM is being issued.
Why is the government enforcing the SIM limit more strictly?
The move is part of the government’s broader effort to prevent the misuse of telecom connections. Fraudsters can use mobile numbers for activities such as phishing, spam, impersonation and financial fraud. DoT has therefore been working on systems that identify suspicious or fraudulent mobile connections and link telecom connections to the actual subscriber.
The department’s earlier instructions noted that fraudulent mobile connections can be used for financial fraud, phishing, unsolicited commercial communications and automated calls.
The latest photo-based verification mechanism is intended to make it harder for an individual to obtain additional connections after already reaching the prescribed limit.
