TRAI Introduces New Regulations to Combat Fraudulent SIM Swapping

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has introduced revised regulations concerning SIM porting, commonly referred to as Mobile Number Portability (MNP), aimed at curbing fraudulent SIM swap incidents. 

Effective from July 1, the amended guidelines mandate a waiting period of seven days following a SIM swap or replacement before users become eligible to port their number from one network to another.

TRAI's ninth amendment has been rolled out to combat fraudulent SIM porting incidents, prompted by a directive from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), which stated It has come to the notice that mobile connections are being fraudulently ported out by the criminals/fraudsters by way of fraudulent SIM Swaps/replacement (instructions dated 01.08.2016 as enclosed may kindly be referred).

For users who have lost their original SIM card and requested a replacement, the amended regulations stipulate a waiting period of seven days before they can initiate network porting. However, there are no such restrictions for users upgrading their SIM cards (e.g., from 3G to 4G/5G), as this process is authorized by the user through a one-time password (OTP). SIM porting, also known as Mobile Number Portability (MNP), enables users to switch between different network providers without changing their phone numbers.

In 2023, TRAI introduced enhanced security measures for SIM porting, which included the transfer of the Customer Application Form (CAF) or digital CAF from the donor operator to the recipient operator. Furthermore, the demographic details provided on the CAF were required to match the information provided by the user. These additional guidelines were implemented alongside existing protocols, such as the sharing of a Unique Porting Code (UPC) and its verification by the recipient operator. Additionally, users were required to ensure there were no outstanding dues when applying for SIM porting or Mobile Number Portability (MNP).