politics
Russian authorities intend to ban the registration of eSIMs from abroad and tighten the circulation of SIM cards for the Internet of Things
The government is discussing restrictions on the circulation of SIM cards (M2M) for the Internet of Things, which are used for data exchange between devices, and eSIMs, which do not have a physical medium, writes Kommersant. According to its data, the authorities intend to separate M2M SIM cards into a separate category, introduce additional identification for their users, and also ban voice calls and SMS messages. Russians are also wanted to be banned from registering eSIMs from abroad.
TL;DR
- Russia is discussing restrictions on M2M SIM cards for the Internet of Things and eSIMs.
- M2M SIM cards may become a separate category with enhanced user identification and restrictions on voice/SMS.
- Russians might be prohibited from registering eSIMs from outside the country.
- These measures are part of a potential third package of amendments to combat fraudsters.
- Currently, M2M cards are often registered to legal entities and operate in a 'grey zone,' contributing to spam.
- eSIM technology, launched in Russia in 2019, had about 3 million users by mid-2023.