Airtel, Jio top suspected mobile users list; Vodafone Idea with most users over nine SIM cards each

An analysis by the department of telecommunications (DoT) has found that telecom operators – Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio have the most number of suspected mobile users, meaning those who got connections on forged documents, across the country. Besides, Vodafone Idea has the most users having SIM cards beyond the prescribed limit of nine, on a single-ID.

Of the 1.14 billion mobile connections, in over 2.1 million cases across telcos including Jio, Airtel, Vodafone Idea, BSNL and MTNL, DoT found invalid/non-existent or fake/forged proof of identity or address used for SIM subscription. Further, a total of 19.2 million cases have been detected where one person has subscribed more than the government-prescribed limit of individual mobile connections, according to data by DoT.