Team Blitz India
Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on March 27 released recommendations on ‘Usage of embedded SIM for machine-to-machine communications’.
The Department of Telecommunications (DoT), through its letter dated November 9, 2021, had sought TRAI’s recommendations under the TRAI Act, 1997 on the usage of embedded SIM for machine communications. In this regard, TRAI issued a Consultation Paper on July 7, 2022 for soliciting comments / counter comments from stakeholders.
In response, 15 stakeholders submitted their comments. An open house discussion on the consultation paper was held on December 14, 2022 through virtual mode. Based on the inputs received from stakeholders, deliberations on the subject and based on its own analysis, TRAI has finalised its recommendations.
With the rolling out of 5G services in the country, the opportunities for machine to machine ecosystem have expanded greatly, offering increased scope for applications in various sectors of the economy such as agriculture, transportation, healthcare and industrial automation. These recommendations are aimed at streamlining the regulatory landscape of machine embedded SIM (eSIM) in India.
Through these recommendations, the Authority has laid emphasis on ensuring security by way of proper Know Your Customer (KYC), which is essential for ensuring network security, mitigating fraud risks and enhancing the overall integrity of the machine eSIM ecosystem.
The Authority has also recommended a framework for profile switching of eSIMs and swapping of SM-SR. This will provide significant flexibility to eSIM users and will promote healthy competition in the sector.
Implementation of these recommendations by the Government will promote orderly growth in the machine eSIM segment of the telecom sector in India and will stimulate the development of a homegrown eSIM ecosystem in the country, thus enabling the growth of modern machine to machine communication.
