There will be a fine of Rs 50 lakh and 3 years jail for buying a fake SIM! New Telecommunications Bill passed, know details

The day of December 20, 2023 has proved to be very important for the Indian telecommunication sector. from the Government of India The new Telecommunications Bill (Telecommunications Bill 2023) has been passed in the Lok Sabha. In which major changes have been made for mobile users as well as telecom operators. By repealing the 138 year old Telegraph Act This new Telecom Bill law has been brought, details of which you can read further.

Main points of Telecommunications Bill 2023:

• The new Telecommunication Bill will replace the 138-year-old Indian Telegraph Act that regulates the telecom sector in the country. Along with this, it will replace The Indian Wireless Telegraphy Act 1933 and Telegraph Wires Act 1950 and will also amend the TRAI Act 1997 of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India.

• It has been made mandatory in the Telecommunications Bill 2023 that any person will have to get his biometric identification done to buy a mobile SIM card. It will be the responsibility of the mobile companies to complete this biometrics.

• If a person obtains a SIM card by misrepresenting his identity or on the basis of fake documents, he will be fined up to Rs 50 lakh and can also be given a jail sentence of up to 3 years.

• At present, OTT i.e. over-the-top services have been given concession in this bill. Earlier it was said that OTT would also be brought under telecom services, but at present they have been kept out of the telecom rules. This Telecom Bill will also not be applicable on e-commerce sites and online messaging apps.

• Changes have also been made in the licensing system under the Telecommunication Bill 2023. Till now, telecom service providers had to obtain different licenses for different services, but the new law will bring uniformity in licensing and a single license will include multiple permissions. At present the Telecom Department has to issue more than 100 licenses but in future all the work will be done with just one.

• There will also be relief from untimely harassing calls from companies under the new bill. A provision has been issued in the Telecom Bill 2023 that consumers will have to obtain consent before sending advertisements and promotional messages for goods and services.

• Consumer feedback on promotional calls and messages needs to be known. For this, telecom companies like Jio, Airtel and Vi will have to create an online mechanism, so that users can lodge their complaints online.