Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Getting a SIM card in India

dangoldin.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

31–40 of 49 posts

Re: Getting a SIM card in India

#31

Post by lucaspiller »

arocks wrote: post #26

Despite poor infrastructure in many areas, India has one of the best telecom infrastructure thanks to Sam Pitroda - the father of Indian telecom. From Wikipedia [1]: "As technology Advisor to the Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi in the 1984s, Pitroda not only heralded the telecom revolution in India, but also made a strong case for using technology for the benefit of society through missions on telecommunications, litera…

Could you elaborate on why it is so hard to get a SIM? Here in Europe it couldn't be easier, and most providers give you the SIM for free if you buy a certain amount of airtime.

A few months ago in Ireland I got a new SIM from Three just for tethering. I went into the shop, gave them a €20 banknote, and got a SIM with unlimited data for a month. No ID or credit card required. I was a bit surprised myself. When I worked in a supermarket years ago we had to ask for ID when people bought TVs so they could be chased up if they didn't have a license.

Re: Getting a SIM card in India

#32

Post by gingerlime »

arocks wrote: post #26

Despite poor infrastructure in many areas, India has one of the best telecom infrastructure thanks to Sam Pitroda - the father of Indian telecom. From Wikipedia [1]: "As technology Advisor to the Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi in the 1984s, Pitroda not only heralded the telecom revolution in India, but also made a strong case for using technology for the benefit of society through missions on telecommunications, litera…

> Getting a SIM card is intentionally hard partly due to their prevalence for terrorist activities

Seriously? That sounds like the most idiotic excuse ever. Terrorists also eat chewing gum, so we're going to ask for ID and 24 hour waiting period before buying chewing gums?

In the UK (and probably many other countries), you can buy a SIM card in a grocery shop and it's activated instantly. Adding a data plan or call/sms package is as easy as using a shortcode or sending a SMS.

Re: Getting a SIM card in India

#33

Post by jhuckestein »

Friendly locals are usually able to get a sim card for you without any delay. I got my first one from a rickshaw driver (I actually bought his active sim card and phone) for a $10 more than it would have cost. A guesthouse owner did the same thing on another occasion. Make sure to ask nicely, because these people are on the hook if you do illegal things with those cards.

I once went through the official channels, too, and it was much easier than I thought. I didn't have a passport photo either, so I went across the street to get one taken. Then I came back the next day and picked up a working sim card. It's only a bother if you need the sim card right away.

Re: Getting a SIM card in India

#34

Post by codfrantic »

pilsetnieks wrote: post #15
lukeqsee wrote: post #6

I know the process in Europe (Germany & Italy, at least) is similar, without the need for a local reference or visa. I was very surprised (and frustrated) to discover the need for a photocopy of my passport, but the need for connectivity and the inexpensiveness of the plans finally won me over.

Not everywhere in Europe – from my experience to get a prepaid SIM card in Austria, France, Sweden, Spain, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and most likely many other countries you just need to plop some cash on the counter and be on your merry way. Documentation is generally only required for a card with a contract.

In the Netherlands it's really easy, go to any phoneshop and walk out with a pre-paid sim after paying cash.

In Germany you need ID, maximum 2 per ID at a time....

Re: Getting a SIM card in India

#35

Post by tim333 »

seshagiric wrote: post #29

Considering that cell phones have been a favorite choice of certain elements (they can be used as triggers etc). The process to get a sim card is now really (hopefully) tightened. Or at least not as easy it was before.

You really think having a slight hassle getting a SIM unofficially is going to stop actual terrorists? It's all political theatre.

Re: Getting a SIM card in India

#36

Post by learningram »

gingerlime wrote: post #32
arocks wrote: post #26

Despite poor infrastructure in many areas, India has one of the best telecom infrastructure thanks to Sam Pitroda - the father of Indian telecom. From Wikipedia [1]: "As technology Advisor to the Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi in the 1984s, Pitroda not only heralded the telecom revolution in India, but also made a strong case for using technology for the benefit of society through missions on telecommunications, litera…

> Getting a SIM card is intentionally hard partly due to their prevalence for terrorist activities Seriously? That sounds like the most idiotic excuse ever. Terrorists also eat chewing gum, so we're going to ask for ID and 24 hour waiting period before buying chewing gums? In the UK (and probably many other countries), you can buy a SIM card in a grocery shop and it's activated instantly. Adding a data plan or call/s…

Terrorists cannot deploy bomb blasts using chewing gums

Re: Getting a SIM card in India

#37

Post by lenkite »

Generally, whenever colleagues from abroad visit Bangalore, I keep a local SIM card in my name ready for them. After the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks, the govt of India made it ludicrously difficult for any foreigner to get a local SIM card. I found this absolutely strange since the Mumbai terrorists never used local SIM cards - they were using satellite phones. I guess some guy in national security had a checklist of security proposals to implement and this was on the list. And once a complex process gets implemented in India, due to bureaucratic inertia, it never gets simplified.

Re: Getting a SIM card in India

#38

Post by deepGem »

gingerlime wrote: post #32
arocks wrote: post #26

Despite poor infrastructure in many areas, India has one of the best telecom infrastructure thanks to Sam Pitroda - the father of Indian telecom. From Wikipedia [1]: "As technology Advisor to the Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi in the 1984s, Pitroda not only heralded the telecom revolution in India, but also made a strong case for using technology for the benefit of society through missions on telecommunications, litera…

> Getting a SIM card is intentionally hard partly due to their prevalence for terrorist activities Seriously? That sounds like the most idiotic excuse ever. Terrorists also eat chewing gum, so we're going to ask for ID and 24 hour waiting period before buying chewing gums? In the UK (and probably many other countries), you can buy a SIM card in a grocery shop and it's activated instantly. Adding a data plan or call/s…

Except that, using Chewing gum you can do next to nothing to others, putting the gum in their hair is as disastrous as you can get. Using SIM cards however, you can co-ordinate a terrorist attack. In a country of a billion people tracing a phone number that is not verified by any identity is like looking for a needle in a haystack. It can be done, but takes a lot of time. So while systems similar to SSN are put in place, the govt has made it very hard to get a SIM, until a better system is in place.

Re: Getting a SIM card in India

#39

Post by tim333 »

More annoyingly in India as a tourist if you leave the country you are not allowed back in for 60 days unless it's all prearranged with the embassy as deciding to say pop to Thailand or back to London for a week is evidently a terrorist type thing to do. The main problem with terrorism seems not the infinitesimal risk of actually being killed by one but the certainty of massive inconvenience to everyday people so the politicians can be seen as 'doing something'. Funny aside - I got my Indian SIM in a similar way and then it stopped working which turned out to be because the phone exchange had caught on fire and partly burnt down, which I didn't expect. Indian travel eh?

Re: Getting a SIM card in India

#40

Post by Zigurd »

learningram wrote: post #36
gingerlime wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Getting a SIM card is intentionally hard partly due to their prevalence for terrorist activities Seriously? That sounds like the most idiotic excuse ever. Terrorists also eat chewing gum, so we're going to ask for ID and 24 hour waiting period before buying chewing gums? In the UK (and probably many other countries), you can buy a SIM card in a grocery shop and it's activated instantly. Adding a data plan or call/s…

Terrorists cannot deploy bomb blasts using chewing gums

Unless they are worried about the bill, they can do that with SIMs that roam in India.
Post reply on HN