Telcos urge unique ID to curb misuse

By Mahender Chawla

Ask Govt To Follow US Social Security Model

Drawing flak over lax verification in issuing mobile connections, telecom operators said the time had come for the government to implement a ‘unique citizen identity number’ scheme on the lines of social security number in the US and Europe as well as national ID system in many countries, including Pakistan and China.

Industry executives said it was almost impossible for mobile service providers or their vendors to find out whether documents submitted by a prospective customer were forged. A citizen ID number could check the possibility of misuse by “undesirable elements” since this would be issued after due diligence by government agencies as is done in case of passports.

Cellular Operators Association of India, the apex body of service providers, said the industry had been continuously taking steps to plug loopholes in customer verification and cooperating with investigating agencies. “It is a continuous process and all operators have voluntarily come together to set up the Apex Council of Telecom for proper customer verification. We have also devised strict dos and don’ts for accepting customers,” COAI director-general T V Ramachandran told TOI.

What COAI left unsaid, however, was that every breach in the verification procedure had shown the service provider concerned — or the dealer — slipping even on these industry standards. The latest case has been reported from Kolkata where two persons bought dozens of mobile cards, some of which were allegedly used by the Mumbai attackers. Also, seldom has one heard of a service provider blacklisting its dealer or executive over lax verification.

Telecom executives said a solution could be found in the ID scheme, which could be turned into a universal service with additional benefit to the government. Besides ensuring proper verification, it would help the government accurately deliver its social benefits to the targeted people.

“The government has Rs 10,000 crore in Universal Service Obligation fund collected from the telecom industry. Let it use Rs 200-300 crore out of it to roll out the scheme,” a senior industry player said.