The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has informed the Supreme Court that, following deactivation due to non-usage or at the subscriber’s request, a cellular mobile phone number remains unallocated to a new subscriber for a minimum period of 90 days.
WhatsApp also conveyed to the Court its practice of monitoring inactivity for re-cycled phone numbers. When an account remains inactive for 45 days and is subsequently reactivated on a different mobile device, the old account data is purged.
Taking note of these details, the Court has resolved a writ petition filed in 2021 that had raised concerns regarding the potential misuse of mobile numbers once they are disconnected or deactivated.