Airtel’s ambitious plan to deliver SIM cards in just 10 minutes through Blinkit has quietly been put on hold, less than a month after its launch in 16 cities. The decision follows informal red flags raised by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) around whether the self-verification process using Aadhaar was being executed with the necessary rigour—especially in a system that promises doorstep delivery in record time.
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Launched on April 15, the service aimed to eliminate the usual delays of buying a SIM card. Customers could get a new connection or port their number—prepaid or postpaid—within minutes, all verified through Airtel’s app with an Aadhaar e-KYC. Blinkit handled the logistics, boasting a “completely store-free” model that Blinkit CEO Albinder Dhindsa said would revolutionise telecom onboarding.
But the brakes have now been applied. As of May 1, Airtel SIMs are no longer showing up on Blinkit’s app. Neither Airtel nor Zomato, Blinkit’s parent company, has issued a formal explanation. Industry watchers believe the pause was prompted by backchannel concerns from the DoT, which hasn’t published a circular but has reportedly advised Airtel to strictly comply with digital KYC norms.
Here’s the crux: under current rules, telecom companies can verify a user’s identity remotely using Aadhaar, but the SIM can only be handed over after proper authentication of both identity and address. In a model where SIMs are being delivered within minutes of a digital request, there are questions about whether that verification can realistically be completed in time—and whether it opens the door to misuse.
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While the 10-minute delivery model was bold and in step with India’s quick-commerce trend, it also raises bigger questions about how far convenience can go before compliance steps in. For now, the experiment is on hold—and the telecom regulator is watching closely.
