New Delhi: In an effort to provide better security features, the Department of Telecom (DoT) has issued a directive instructing all telecom operators in the country to start issuing 13-digit mobile numbers to M2M customers.

Existing users' numbers will be ported to 13-digits starting from October 1, 2018. The deadline for completion of the same has been set for December 31, 2018.

“The directive from DoT had come on January 8, 2018, post which we started work on it,” said a senior BSNL official.

The telecom operator further said, “It is decided that 13-digit M2M (Machine-to-machine) numbering plan will be implemented from July 1, 2018. From this date onwards, all new M2M mobile connections will be allocated 13-digit numbers only... Migration of existing 10-digit M2M numbers will start latest by 1 October 2018 and shall be completed by 31 December 2018.”

Further confirming the development, service provider, Bharti Airtel Ltd, in a written response to Telecom Regulatory Authority of India's (TRAI) consultation paper on ‘Spectrum, Roaming and QoS related requirements in Machine-to-Machine Communications’, said, “DoT has already approved a 13-digit numbering series for SIM-based M2M devices which will co-exist with the prevalent 10-digit mobile numbering scheme to be allocated for the Unified Licence (Access Service Authorization).”

Ministry of Communication in a letter written to TRAI informed, “13-digit numbering scheme has been approved for SIM-based M2M devices.”

M2M sim refers to the technologies that enable devices and sensors or things to communicate with each other and with other Internet-enabled devices and systems.