Amid push back and requests from the industry, the Centre has reportedly extended the deadline for compliance with SIM-binding measures to December 31.

“The government has extended the deadline for applicability of SIM-binding rule to December 31 following representation from the industry players,” an official told news agency PTI.

The rules, issued by the telecom department (DoT) in December 2025, require messaging apps like WhatsApp, Telegram and Signal to remain continuously linked to a user’s SIM card. It also mandates that users of web or desktop versions of these apps be logged out every six hours.

As per the PTI report, DoT has now removed the mandatory six-hour logout rule for web versions of these apps. Instead, users will now be reportedly logged out based on AI-enabled risk analysis by messaging platforms.

This comes a month after reports first surfaced that the Centre was considering easing some of the proposed SIM-binding rules after industry players raised certain concerns.

The directive stems from the Telecommunication Cybersecurity Amendment Rules, 2025, which expanded the telecom regulator’s ambit to include messaging and social platforms that identify users through mobile numbers.

Under the rules, issued in December 2025, platforms must ensure users can only access services on devices with the SIM card originally used for registration. Platforms were directed to implement the required technical changes by February 26 and submit compliance reports by March 28.

In its notice to digital intermediaries, DoT had flagged concerns over cybersecurity risks posed by non-SIM-bound devices. It also noted that such devices could be misused from outside the country to carry out telecom-related cyber fraud.

However, digital intermediaries have been up in arms against these proposals. Industry stakeholders have warned that strict enforcement could disrupt legitimate usage, particularly for users travelling abroad or those who access messaging platforms across multiple devices.

The Broadband India Forum had earlier argued that the rule may go beyond the DoT’s statutory powers and could raise issues related to right to equality. It also suggested alternative measures to ensure compliance, such as stricter SIM-KYC enforcement and better coordination between telecom operators, financial institutions and law enforcement agencies.

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