What is the difference between the subscriber, account holder and user of a number?¶

The subscriber is the provider-recorded holder of the mobile service; the account holder may manage or pay for a wider family or business account; the user is the person controlling the number, SIM, device or application at the relevant time.

One record can describe different roles¶

A parent can hold the account for a child's number, a company subscribe for an employee, or an intruder take over service through a SIM swap. Shared phones and linked applications create additional users.

Preserve the provider's exact field names and the date each relationship applied. “Customer”, “subscriber”, “account owner” and “user” should not be treated as synonyms without supporting definitions.

Prove actual use at the event¶

Combine allocation and billing with SIM and device association, application logins, location, possession, communication pattern, employment records and witnesses. A number can also be reassigned, making current data irrelevant to earlier activity.

Report the provider-recorded relationship first, followed separately by the evidence identifying the event-specific user.