As per the instructions of Department of Telecommunication (DoT) given to the telecom operators in the month of February,the machine to machine or M2M SIMs are to be issued 13-digit numbers from July 1,2018.
The news has been misinterpreted by some media platforms,as a consequence of which public thought that the regular mobile users will also be given the 13-digit mobile numbers. But it is to be noted that the new scheme will not affect the mobile phones we all use. They will continue to have 10-digit mobile numbers.
WHAT IS M2M?
M2M numbers are those numbers which are used for SIMs in devices like swipe machines, cars,electricity meters,smart home systems etc.M2M technology is an essential part of the Internet of Things (IoT) which works through the wireless network. It is being done to improve the security surrounding these devices.
THE IMPLEMENTATION
The new numbering plan is likely to start from July 1, 2018. The M2M users will be allocated their new numbers then and the migration to 13-digit mobile numbers will start from October 1, 2018, and shall end by December 31, 2018.The DoT has also asked the service providers to “ensure that their network elements including IT and other relevant systems are aligned with 13-digit numbering for M2M SIMs before July 1, 2018, as reported by The Times of India.”
Therefore,the implementation scheme of migrating the existing 10-digit numbers to 13-digit numbers is meant only for M2M technology.
