Extension of verification deadlines fails to cheer N-E mobile users

Although the deadline for undertaking the re-verification exercise of pre-paid mobile customers in North-East though has been extended till March 31, it has failed to bring much cheer in the faces of customers as well as service providers.

Strict documentation to pass re-verification test remains a worry for the customers as well for mobile companies as they stand to lose a large chunk of subscribers.

The Department of Telecommunication (DoT) notification, dated October 20, had given 3 months time for mobile companies to undertake the re-verification exercise. However, following petitions made by the mobile companies, DoT has now extended the same till March 31.

“The extension of deadline would be of little benefit for the customers as many do not possess the requisite documents,” said a senior official of a mobile company to Business Standard.

He added that DoT should have also relaxed documentation process as majority of the people residing in rural areas do not possess such documents.

As per the DoT notification, region specific documents like domicile certificate, caste certificate, certificate from village panchayat or headman, pre-2008 voter ID card, and even electricity bill, have been made unacceptable for re-verification process, thus making it a “daunting task” for majority of the rural populace to pass the re-verification test.

As per the estimates of the mobile companies, nearly 80 per cent of the rural subscribers will fail to produce the required documents, and hence would go off the mobile loop if documentation process is not simplified.

The mobile companies demand that at least few North-East specific documents should be made acceptable “in the interest of the rural subscribers” as was done in the case of Jammu and Kashmir, where too a similar exercise was undertaken by the mobile companies following DoT directive.

If the latest DoT notification is compared to a similar one issued in 2009, at least 10 commonly available documents for identity proof, which were included in the 2009 notification, have been made unacceptable now.

Moreover, if a large chunk of existing pre-paid customers fail to pass the re-verification exercise, that would affect the businesses of the mobile companies in the region, most of them having already made huge investments in last few years. Anything, such would have a ripple effect in the economy of the region and would also lead to large scale unemployment.