Telecoms roll out measure for privacy

New Delhi: Amid reports that shopkeepers sell mobile number of young girls who come to recharge their phones, telecom operators are now rolling out a new system to preserve privacy of their subscribers.

Under the plan, a person will need not give his or her mobile number to the shopkeeper for recharge. Customers need to send a SMS to a specific number and they will get a code.

Instead of sharing the phone number, customers can share this unique code with the retailer to recharge their mobile number. This code will be valid for 24 hours.

Telecom operators have already started this service in some select circles. Idea Cellular has started this service in Karnataka, Maharashtra, Goa and Haryana. Both prepaid and postpaid Idea customers can use this facility to recharge their phones and pay mobile bills.

Vodafone has launched a similar service in West Bengal, Dehradun, Saharanpur and Firozabad in UP (West) and Uttarakhand.

Bharti Airtel too is planning to launch this service, said sources.