The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has put a temporary halt to Airtel’s SIM card home delivery service offered through Blinkit, a Zomato-owned quick-commerce platform.
As a result, customers can no longer order Airtel SIM cards through Blinkit’s 10-minute delivery service.
This decision was made over concerns related to the Know Your Customer (KYC) process.
Airtel and Blinkit launched the instant SIM card delivery service on April 15 in selected cities.
However, DoT has now stopped this service and sent a message to Airtel stating that current KYC rules must be strictly followed.
This means that there should be no shortcut or compromise in verifying the identity of customers.
DoT Raises Questions on KYC Compliance
According to a report by Financial Express, Airtel had not responded to the government’s email at the time the report was written.
Meanwhile, a Blinkit official said that the service has not been permanently stopped, but only paused temporarily, and will resume after proper review and clearance from authorities.
The DoT had issued updated guidelines in 2024 for issuing new or replacement SIM cards.
These included options for a paperless and self-KYC process, which involves verifying documents and biometric data like Aadhaar.
However, the department objects to delivering SIM cards before completing the KYC process, which Blinkit’s model allowed by giving customers 15 days to activate the SIM after delivery.
What Happens to Already Delivered SIM Cards?
There’s no official word yet on the status of SIM cards already delivered via Blinkit.
However, telecom experts say those cards are likely still in the process of being activated, as the telecom company will verify the documents before allowing activation.
Background on SIM Home Delivery
In recent years, telecom companies have started offering home delivery for SIM cards through their websites or apps.
Customers can order up to 9 SIM cards from home and go through the e-KYC process, where identity is verified digitally. This includes uploading Aadhaar and verifying biometrics.
With the Blinkit model, a SIM card was delivered in under 10 minutes, and customers were given 15 days to complete activation via KYC.
DoT’s main concern is that this method violates the rule requiring full KYC before issuing or delivering a SIM card.
