The sale of Airtel SIM cards through its quick-commerce partner Blinkit has been put on hold after the department of telecommunications (DoT) questioned the telco on the know-your-customer (KYC) procedure being followed.
The service, which went live on April 15 in select markets, is no longer available on the Zomato-owned platform.
The DoT has sent a communication to the telco, stressing that the existing self-KYC norms for customers should be adhered to without exception.
Email queries sent to Airtel on the development did not elicit a response till press time. A Blinkit official said the service has been paused and not discontinued. It will continue after due diligence is completed.
The DoT had, in 2024, released instructions for issuing new or replacement SIM cards which included a paper-less process and a provision for customers to undertake the KYC process on their own. There is no clarity on what happens to the SIM cards already sold through Blinkit. “Most likely, these SIM cards will be in the process of activation since the telco would have to carry out document verification, etc.,” a telecom expert said.
Telcos have been carrying out home delivery of SIM cards for a while. Customers can order up to nine SIM cards from a telecom service provider using their app or website. After applying for a SIM card, the potential customer is required to go through a digital or e-KYC process which verifies his/her identity, including biometrics, using government-issued documents such as Aadhaar card.
Once the customer has carried out the self-KYC process, the telco delivers the card at the customer’s residence. In case the customer does not opt for self-KYC, the representative delivering the SIM card walks the customer through the KYC process, updates the system, and then delivers the card.
When Blinkit delivers a SIM card, the customer has 15 days to activate it following the KYC process. The department of telecommunications has objected to the delivery of the SIM card before the KYC process is complete.
(With inputs from Raghav Aggarwal)