The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has asked all the telecom service providers to collect Aadhaar card details along with the customer application form (CAF) for the issuance of new SIM connections. Further, the mobile operators have been asked to store the unique identification number (UIN) on the Aadhaar card in their customer database. For this, the telecom department has given two months of time to the operators to modify their databases to include UIN.

Moreover, it has been decided that the Aadhaar numbers must be collected in all cases irrespective of the fact that the new mobile connection has been issued by taking Aadhaar card or any other document as the proof of identity and address.

Meanwhile, DoT is also working on a concept to use the Aadhaar number for online verification of customers seeking mobile connections along with existing process of customer verification. In this regard, the government is looking into resolving the issues concerned with the use of Aadhaar card as a proof of address for obtaining new SIM cards in its proposed online verification system.

Earlier, the Ministry of Home Affairs had raised concern over the documents supporting the information on the Aadhaar card and therefore, believed that any error in the information can lead to high volume security concerns given the universal acceptance of the Aadhaar card.