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Truth about 13 Digit Mobile Numbers

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If you've been lately reading reports about your mobile number having 13 digits (from 10 digits currently) from July 1 and have been feeling perplexed, relax! Your mobile number will continue to have 10 digits. Certain sections of the media seem to have misinterpreted a DoT (Department of Telecommunication) order for the machine to machine or M2M numbers.

 Starting July 1, all SIM-based M2M(machine-to-machine) communication devices will carry a 13-digit number now. However, this is applicable only to numbers used by machines to communicate with other machines and not to normal retail mobile numbers.

 M2M numbers are the ones that are used for SIMs in devices like swipe machines, cars, electricity meters etc. Officials from Bharti Airtel--India's largest telecom service provider, Reliance Jio and telecom industry body COAI (Cellular Operators Association of India) confirmed that the mobile numbers we have and use remain unaffected by this development.

Earlier this month, the DoT had issued a directive to telecom operators mentioning the implementation of 13-digit numbering scheme for M2M communication.
According to a letter that BSNL had sent to its hardware vendors ZTE and Nokia, the Department of Telecommunications, in a meeting on January 8 this year, decided that the 13-digit numbering scheme be implemented for M2M communication.



"Migration of existing l0-digit M2M numbers to 13 digits will start latest by October 1, 2018, and shall be completed by December 31, 2018," the DoT order stated. All new M2M mobile connections will be allocated l3-digit numbers from July 1, 2018, it added.
The DoT has also asked the service providers to ensure that their network elements including IT and other relevant systems are aligned with 13-digit numbering for M2M SIMs before July 1, 2018.