A survey by Esya Centre covering 2,033 consumers and 353 small businesses across 18 and 17 cities respectively found that nearly all consumers would find SIM binding inconvenient. Among businesses, 82% expect forced logouts due to SIM binding to disrupt their operations, according to medianama.com. The survey highlights significant user dissatisfaction with the Department of Telecommunications' (DoT) November 2025 directive on SIM binding.
The survey sampled 2,033 consumers from 18 cities, with 76% urban and 24% semi-urban respondents, excluding rural areas. The 353 businesses surveyed were primarily small firms, with 79% having 10 or fewer employees, and sectors including 52% retail and 6% manufacturing. The report notes that 97.7% of multi-device users found forced logout from companion devices inconvenient, and 84.3% cited frequent re-login as a burden due to the mandatory six-hourly logout requirement. However, the survey did not disclose the questionnaire, sampling method, or response rate.
The findings raise questions about the effectiveness of the DoT's SIM binding policy in curbing fraud, as the survey and the DoT itself have not measured fraud conducted through accounts that remain active even after SIM removal. The policy aims to address this issue, but the disruption to business operations and user inconvenience could have broader implications for messaging platform usage and small business communication.
The DoT’s directive on SIM binding was issued in November 2025, and the survey results published this week underscore the operational challenges faced by small businesses and consumers. The next regulatory review or update on the SIM binding policy is awaited to assess its impact on fraud prevention and business continuity.