Telcos asked to list disconnected numbers

CHENNAI: At a time when mobile numbers have emerged as the key mode of identification and authentication in both public and private spheres, telecom regulator Trai wants to help enterprises keep a clean and up-to-date list of mobile numbers of customers.
Trai, in an order on Thursday, ordered telcos to start submitting lists of permanently disconnected mobile numbers from their network on a monthly basis, to be called the Mobile Number Revocation List.
The move is aimed to address a potential security risk situation when a mobile user has had his/her number permanently disconnected but fails to update their service providers, leading to confidential and personal information reaching unauthorised persons.
A senior Trai official told TOI that telcos will now have the responsibility to submit a list of disconnected numbers every month, which the regulator will merely host on its platform.