Mobile operators have opposed the Department of Telecommunication?s (DoT) directive to obtain a new set of documents for identity verification from users in the North East. The companies feel that if implemented, the directive may result in the loss of a huge chunk of the 20 million-odd customer base in the northeast region.
As per the latest DoT notification, voter ID cards issued after 2008 can be accepted as an identity proof. Also, re-verification of existing prepaid connections and sale of SIM cards will take place only at outlets operated by the company itself or by a distributor.
In a letter to R. Chandrashekhar, secretary, DoT, the Apex Advisory Council for Telecom has said that in Assam and the North-East, service areas documents, such as gram panchayat certificates issued by a gram panchayat head or an equivalent authority and caste and domicile certificate issued by state governments ought to be included in the list of acceptable documents.
Meanwhile, operators have claimed that they had started the re-verification process as per DoT guidelines and the new notification, setting a three-month deadline, may undo their efforts. The Apex Advisory Council added that it would be impossible to go back to the re-verified customers spread across the remote areas of Assam and the North-East service areas and request them to undergo a repeat re-verification.
