'Limit mobile connections to foreigners till visa period'

Any mobile connection issued to a foreigner should have the same validity as the visa, Communications and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad told parliament Wednesday.

"Any mobile connection issued to a foreigner should not have validity beyond the validity of the visa. In case of a foreign tourist, the validity of connection should not be beyond the visa period and also not exceeding three months at a time even if the validity of the visa is beyond three months," the minister said in a written reply in the Lok Sabha.

According to the guidelines issued by the telecom department in 2012, any foreigner can get a new mobile connection on the basis of passport with a valid visa stamp as a proof of identity and any local reference or address of stay as a proof of address.

Prasad said connections issued to personnel deployed on ships while in the sea shore, shall be valid only till the date they have the permit to stay at the port.

To prevent misuse of mobile connections issued to foreigners, telecom service providers have been mandated not to issue mobile connections to foreigners beyond the validity of the visa.