NEW DELHI: Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has announced that the amendment in the rules related to porting of mobile numbers will come into effect from July 1. The new amendment is aimed at preventing scams like SIM swap and SIM replacement. SIM swap or replacement is the process by which an existing subscriber acquires a new SIM card to replace a lost or non-functioning SIM card. Through this, many frauds have been reported in the country.

As per the current rules, users can also opt for mobile number portability facility. This allows them to keep their mobile number unchanged while switching from one access provider to another.

More fraud is rampant mainly in the SIM swapping method. Fraudsters will transfer the phone number to another SIM without the knowledge of the original owner and commit financial fraud using the OTP that comes to it. If the SIM becomes inactive, the user will not be able to immediately understand what has happened. Fraudsters also take advantage of this facility.

New rules

As per the rules, which will come into effect from July 1, the Unique Porting Code (UPC) for mobile number porting will be heavily restricted. UPC is the code that the applicant gets after applying for number porting, so TRAI aims to regulate these codes.

As per the new rules, from July 1, UPC will be issued only after seven days of taking a new SIM card without changing the mobile number. Such delays will help prevent fraud and increase security in portability procedures.