The Broadband India Forum (BIF) has called for an immediate pause in the implementation of the Department of Telecommunications’ SIM-binding mandate, saying the directive raises issues of jurisdiction, proportionality, consumer impact and technical feasibility, and has been issued without any public consultation or user-impact assessment.
The industry body, which counts Amazon, Netflix and Meta among its members, argued that the directions extend telecom-style obligations to digital and OTT platforms that are governed under the IT Act, creating controls that exceed the remit of the Telecom Act.
BIF emphasises caution
BIF has cautioned that the mandate may disrupt genuine, law-abiding users, including travellers, NRIs relying on Wi-Fi abroad, professionals who depend on uninterrupted desktop access during full workdays, multi-SIM households and elderly or low-literacy users who may struggle with repeated re-authentication.
The forum says these requirements impose a significant burden without demonstrating clear gains against sophisticated fraud networks. “The result is a consumer cost imposed in the absence of consultation, impact assessment, or proportionality,” TV Ramachandran, president, BIF said.
Industry body flags concerns over adaptability
The industry body has also flagged concerns over selective applicability, arguing that including only some apps while excluding others creates avenues for regulatory arbitrage and may push malicious actors to less-regulated platforms. BIF warned that this could also lead to unequal treatment and potential market distortions.
In addition, it points to practical challenges such as operating system-level restrictions, dual-SIM and eSIM configurations, and the substantial architectural redesign that digital services would be compelled to undertake. The forum said these gaps make it essential for the government to halt implementation and undertake a structured consultation with all stakeholders.
“This makes it all the more essential that any measure of this magnitude must be backed by legislative sanction, and respect jurisdictional boundaries and undergo transparent, consultative scrutiny so it causes minimal disruption for millions of genuine users and businesses,” Ramachandran added.
BIF’s arguments come a day after telecom operators represented by the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) welcomed the directive and described it as an important step toward improving accountability and traceability on communication platforms. COAI said stronger linkage between SIM credentials and app-based communication can help curb anonymity-driven misuse and reduce fraud. “This is a much-needed initiative in ensuring consumer trust, accountability, traceability and further alignment with evolving regulatory frameworks,” the association said.
Cybersecurity experts have called for a balanced approach to the matter. While protecting against the ever-evolving cyber threat landscape remains crucial, practitioners also advocate ease of implementation and execution.
“SIM-binding can certainly act as a deterrent for casual or low-sophistication fraud, and it will likely improve the traceability of many everyday scam operations,” Rajesh Chhabra, general manager, India and South-East Asia, Acronis, said. He added that such measures work best as part of a multi-layered security framework that still accommodates legitimate user needs such as travel, device changes and enterprise mobility.
