New Delhi, Aug. 22 -- Starting 24 August 2026, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has issued a strict circular mandating that all telecom operating companies halt the issuance of new mobile connections to individuals who have already reached their legally permitted maximum number of SIM cards.

According to a Times of India (TOI) report, this directive shifts the operational burden onto telecom service providers (TSPs), requiring them to deploy robust technical and organisational measures to identify customers who breach limits and explicitly inform them that no further connections can be authorised under their name.

The overarching policy dictates strict caps on the number of SIM cards a single individual can possess across all ...