Calm down: Your mobile number will not have 13 digits

There have been rumours that the Department of Telecom wants to introduce a new system of 13-digit mobile numbers. Well, this does not apply to regular smartphone users. In an effort to improve security, the Department of Telecom has reportedly issued a directive instructing all telecom operators in India to start issuing 13-digit mobile numbers to M2M customers or Machine To Machine communication numbers.

M2M refers to wireless data communication between machines. It is used most commonly where data has to be collected from remote sources.

According to reports, a BSNL spokesperson has stated that the company will bring the new 13-digit protocol to a machine to machine (M2M) communication and it is not meant for the general public. This means, customers will not have to worry about transferring their 10-digit number to a 13-digit number.

Existing users' numbers will be ported, starting October 1, 2018. The deadline for completion of the same has been set for December 31, 2018 respectively.

At the moment, BSNL has sent a directive to its hardware vendors ZTE and Nokia. In a meeting on January 8, the Department of Telecom decided that M2M SIM cards in India will need to have 13-digits. The company has also informed its vendors that it will need infrastructure that can handle the M2M numbers, starting from July 1, 2018.