In India, if you ask a SIM card expert how many people can legally possess on their behalf, they will probably answer 9. This is true up to a point. In reality, a person in India can have a maximum of 9 SIM cards for mobile calls and another 9 for M2M (Machine to Machine) communication. It should be noted that you can purchase a maximum of 18 SIM cards in your name. Nine of them can be used for mobile calls and another nine for M2M communication. A total of 18 SIM cards may be held in your name after providing proof of identity for the use of a SIM card. It is important to remember that completing the CAF form is not enough. You will also need to present your original documents and submit their photocopies to verify your age and address. Therefore, you cannot lie about your age to get a SIM card in your name. According to the telecom reforms approved by the cabinet in September 2021, the Ministry of Telecommunications` rules prohibit the issuance of new SIM cards to customers in these three situations. As CAF is a contract between the client and the TSP, it is governed by the Indian Contracts Act 1872. According to the law, a person entering into the contract must be at least 18 years old or 21 years old if the court has appointed him as legal guardian.

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) said SIM cards should not be issued to minors in India. This means that people under the age of 18 cannot purchase SIM cards from any of the country`s telecom operators. However, there is more than can be seen. A telecom operator cannot simply sell a new SIM card to people who are no more than 18 years old. Selling a SIM card to a minor or unauthorized person is an illegal activity of the telecommunications operator. Here`s everything you need to know about it. So there should be a fixed age limit to get each carrier`s SIM card. It is already clear to you why there is an age regulation for buying SIM cards. It is also important to know that you should not give a SIM card to minors on your behalf for regular use.

The minor can be your brother or sister, your child, your grandchild, etc. We need to behave responsibly by not giving them a SIM card all the time just because they are teenagers and understand how to use a phone. To obtain a new SIM card, a person must complete a Customer Acquisition Form (CAF). This form is actually a contract between a customer and the telecommunications service provider (TSP). This form expressly contains certain conditions that must be met by both the TSP and the customer. As mentioned earlier, about 150 countries have some sort of legal restrictions on buying SIM cards, which are usually between the ages of 16 and 18. Some have strict procedures, while others are forgiving. Some countries have no procedure or restriction for purchasing a SIM card.

For example, the entire North American continent (United States, Canada and Mexico), the United Kingdom, Ireland, Portugal, Ukraine, Sweden and Liechtenstein do not require mandatory SIM card registration at all. In contrast, several countries have a strict and meticulous process, such as Kenya, China and North Korea. The contract is governed by the Indian Contracts Act 1872, which states that the person entering into the contract must be at least 18 years of age or 21 years of age if the court has appointed him or her as legal guardian. The person who concludes the contract must also be of sound mind. Otherwise, the contract is not valid in the eyes of the court. Although it is now easy for the common man to get a new SIM card, you don`t need to go to a mobile store or retail store for this process. To get a new mobile connection, i.e. a new SIM card, you need to go through UIDAI`s Aadhaar-based E-KYC service.

In this process, the mobile user has to pay a fee of Rs 1 and apart from that, there is no need to submit a photo or ID to the store. Every document stored in DigiLocker is useful in this KYC and the work is done online. To purchase a SIM card, a person must complete a Customer Acquisition Form (CAF), which is essentially a contract between a customer and the telecommunications service provider (TSP). SIM cards can no longer be issued to minors because the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) announced on Saturday that from now on, anyone under the age of 18 will not be able to buy SIM cards from any of the country`s telecom operators. Jio, Airtel, VI, BSNL are four telecom operators operating mainly in India. Nearly millions of people in the country use the mobile phone numbers of these companies. Every day, hundreds of new SIM cards are issued and new mobile phone numbers are introduced. For the convenience of their users, these telecom companies try to sell SIM cards with minimal paperwork so that their user base can grow. But the Indian government has changed the rules for SIM cards. Under the new rules, new SIM cards cannot be sold to customers under the age of 18.

The DoT recently stated that SIM cards should not be given to minors in India. Since this is a contract between the TSP and the customer, only authorized adults can enter into the contract. How many SIM cards can a customer buy on their behalf? Selling SIM cards to a minor or unauthorized person is now considered illegal activity, he said. Dear readers, please share this valuable information with all your friends and family, including retailers. How many of you activated your SIM card when you were a minor? Are these guidelines strictly adhered to by all mobile phone companies in India? To motivate you to maintain this, we give you a solid reason. If something bad happens to a minor or if they do something wrong with the SIM card you provide, legal action will be taken against anyone who is the rightful owner of the SIM card in question. You`ve heard why governments around the world deny minors access to SIM cards, and now you know why you should too. The government has put people over the age of 18 in trouble while changing the rules for issuing SIM cards.

On the other hand, the process of buying a new SIM card has been simplified for people over 18 years old. Under the new rules, any Indian citizen can apply for a new SIM card online from the comfort of their own home. Once the SIM card is applied online, the SIM card will also be delivered to your home. According to the instructions of the DoT above, no mobile operator in the country is allowed to sell mobile SIM cards to minors. It is the responsibility of the telecommunications service provider to comply with DoT guidelines. CAFs signed by minors have no legal value and are therefore considered invalid CAFs. Since a mobile phone has become a must-have device, a SIM card that connects you to the network is just as important. It is not difficult at all to get one in India as long as you have the right documents for it. It doesn`t matter if you are an Indian citizen or a foreigner. But why isn`t it a fixed age limit to get a SIM card from any carrier like Airtel Provide at 17, since BSNL also has an age bar of 17 and Wodafone-Idea Provide at 16.5 and Reliance Jio at 18. We believe it is crucial to limit the legal age to purchase a SIM card. You may be thinking, what is the need? Why can`t a minor buy a SIM card when it is legal for them to buy a cell phone of their age, usually with their permission? The simple answer is security.

It is a very sensitive tool. Criminals can use the SIM card to make fraudulent calls and text messages. You can also hack SIM card and steal your valuable information. While it has become easier for many to get a new SIM card following the change in SIM card rules, it has become difficult for some consumers to get a new SIM card. The biggest update to these rules is that mobile users under the age of 18 in India can no longer buy a SIM card from a company for themselves. Reliance Jio, Airtel, Vodafone Idea and BSNL cannot sell SIM cards to customers under the age of 18. A SIM card can be misused in several ways. Therefore, there is an age restriction to get one. A minor is more likely to commit or be a victim of such crimes.