Trai refutes reports on charges being imposed on multiple SIM cards

New Delhi: Telecom regulator Trai on Friday termed reports that it intends to impose charges on customers for holding multiple SIMs and numbering resources “unequivocally false”.

Clearing the air on the issue, Trai said the telecom department, being the sole custodian of telecom identifiers (TI) resources, had approached the regulator in September 2022, seeking recommendations on a revised National Numbering Plan for undertaking efficient management and judicious utilisation of numbering resources in the country.

Accordingly, Trai released its consultation paper on the revision of the National Numbering Plan (NNP) “with an aim to assess all factors currently affecting the allocation and utilisation of TI resources”.

Trai said it also aims to propose amendments that would refine allocation policies and utilisation procedures, thereby, ensuring a sufficient reserve of TI resources for present and future requirements.

“The speculation that TRAI intends to impose charges on customers for holding multiple SIMs/ numbering resources is unequivocally false. Such claims are unfounded and serve only to mislead the public,” it said.