Friday, March 29, 2024

SIM cards to be regulated

The telecom regulator has decided to come down heavily on the sale of subscriber identity module (SIM) cards to curb illegal voice over internet
protocol (VoIP) operations, and to prevent crimes from being committed with the help of mobile phones, sources said. The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has prepared draft guidelines to regulate the sale of SIM cards. Under these directives, the telecom regulator has stated that a single subscriber
can purchase at the most four SIM cards from a single operator.
However, this restriction – that a maximum of four SIM cards can be bought from a single operator – will not be applicable to corporate organizations, the directives
stated.
The BTRC has also decided to ban the sale of pre-activated SIM cards. It has directed that from October 12, the sale of pre-activated SIM cards for cell phones will
not be allowed. Mobile phone operators will be allowed to activate SIM cards only after verifying the identity of the users.
BTRC acting chairman Giusuddin Ahmed said the commission is planning to impose these strict guidelines as it is determined to stop the sale of unregistered SIM cards
with the aim of curbing criminal activities and illegal VoIP operations.
He said the BTRC and other law-enforcing agencies have found that some people, both individually and in groups, are engaging in various kinds of criminal activities,
including operation of illegal VoIP businesses. These activities are mostly carried out through the use of unauthorized SIMs.
BTRC recently found out that as many as 15,254 unauthorized SIM cards of six mobile phone operators have been used, mostly for running illegal VoIP operations.
Ahmed explained this has happened because each subscriber can buy as many SIMs as he or she likes from an operator. He added that with the provisions in the new
guidelines, this will no longer be allowed.
“We’ve already sent letters to the mobile phone operators, informing them of our decision and advising them to take proper steps to follow the directive,” he said.
Ahmed said under the directive, the telecom regulator has asked the operators to withdraw their pre-activated prepaid SIM cards from the market within the stipulated
time period and activate the SIMs only after verifying the identification documents of the users.
He said that the verification process will be automated after the database of the Election Commission is updated and activated.
The operators would have to take responsibility for any incorrect document(s) provided by the customers during SIM registration, the acting chief of the BTRC said.
Officials with the telecom operator said the restriction on ownership of SIMs of a single operator to a maximum of just four would not effectively reduce the crime
rate as criminals can easily forge documents.
On an average, at present 15 lakh new SIMs are sold every month. The operators, however, said these numbers will fall with the implementation of the new guidelines.
The cell phone operators also said that it would not be easy for them to implement the process instructed by the regulator because they do not have the logistical
support for verifying the documents of SIM card buyers.
Refuting the argument, Ahmed said the operators could easily implement the process by using their sales centres and by following the SIM activation system practised in
the neighbouring country. He explained that the operators have to verify at least one document, such as any photo ID or birth certificate, or similar other documents,
to ascertain the identity of the SIM card buyers.
He added that it was mandatory for each customer to fill out a telecom connectivity form along with a photograph and a photocopy of a photo identity document when
purchasing a new SIM card. But many operators are not effectively following this rule, he added.
At present, pre-activated SIM cards are available in the market. This allows customers to use cell phones without disclosing their real identity or even without
providing any identity documents at all.
“We’ve asked the operators to take 72 hours to activate the SIM cards after verifying the customers’ information,” said the acting BTRC chief.
If the operators fail to comply with the order, they would have to pay a fine of US $ 50 for each case, the directive added

Courtesy of The Independent

Related News

bKash communications chief Mahfuz Sadique dies at 40

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Mahfuz Sadique, chief communications officer of mobile financial services firm bKash, passed away in Bangladesh capital Dhaka Friday morning. He was 40. Mahfuz died around 9:00am while undergoing treatment at a hospital in the capital, bKash said in a statement. Mahfuz, who began his career as a journalist at New Age, ... Read more

Prices for potatoes increase by 229% from the previous year

Prices for potatoes varied from Tk16 to Tk22 per kg at this time last year. News Desk : dhakamirror.com Despite the presence of both new and old potatoes in the market, potato prices have soared by 229% compared to late December last year. According to the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB), the selling price for ... Read more

LGED engineer dead, UNO among 3 injured in Panchagarh car crash

News Desk : dhakamirror.com An engineer of the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) was killed and three other government officials were injured when the vehicle of a UNO hit a roadside tree in Panchagarh Sadar upazila early today. The deceased was identified as Abu Sayed, 33, upazila engineer of LGED from Pirganj upazila of Thakurgaon. ... Read more

UNHCR calls for rescue of Rohingyas stranded in Andaman Sea

News Desk : dhakamirror.com The United Nations (UN) Refugee Agency, UNHCR, has made an urgent appeal to all countries in the region, particularly those in the area surrounding the Andaman Sea, to swiftly deploy their full search and rescue capacities in response to reported vessels in distress with hundreds of Rohingya at risk of perishing. ... Read more

Over 200 RMG workers injured in Comilla while evacuating factory during earthquake

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Over two hundred garment workers in Cumilla’s Chauddagram have been injured while trying to evacuate the factory building of Amir Shirt Garment Limited during today’s earthquake. A 5.5 magnitude earthquake at a depth of 10km jolted Dhaka, and parts of the country at 9:35am today (2 December). The epicentre of the ... Read more

Daughter hacked father to death in Chattogram

News Desk : dhakamirror.com A father was hacked to death by his own daughter during an altercation over a trivial matter at Lohagara upazila in Chattogram on Friday (1 December). The deceased was identified as Abdur Rahman, 50, of Putibila Sarai village under the upazila. Police have detained the daughter, Humaira Begum, 23, soon after ... Read more

HSC results: Dhaka has most GPA-5 achievers, while Barishal has highest pass rate

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Dhaka had the highest number of GPA-5 recipients in the HSC exams, while Barishal Education Board had the highest pass rate among nine educational boards. Education Minister Dipu Moni announced today that the overall pass rate in the nine general boards is 75.90 percent. In terms of pass rates, Barishal ranked ... Read more

PSC postpones 45th BCS written tests

News Desk : dhakamirror.com The Bangladesh Public Service Commission (PSC) has decided to postpone the written tests for the 45th Bangladesh Civil Service examination, which was scheduled to be held on 27 November. The announcement came through a notification signed by Ananda Kumar Biswas, the exam controller of PSC, issued on Friday. PSC held a ... Read more

After stabbing younger sister to death woman ‘kills herself’ in Hazaribagh

News Desk : dhakamirror.com A woman reportedly killed herself after stabbing her younger sister to death in the capital’s Hazaribagh area today. Police said the incident took place in the Kalunagar area at around 12am on Monday (13 November). The deceased have been identified as Jasmine Akhtar, 44, and her younger sister Nasreen Akhtar, 30. ... Read more

Oman stops issuing new visas to citizens of Bangladesh

News Desk : dhakamirror.com The Sultanate of Oman has suspended the issuance of visas across all categories for Bangladeshi nationals, the Royal Oman Police (ROP) said on Tuesday. The decision was effective from Tuesday, reported Oman-based English newspaper the Times of Oman referring to the Royal Oman Police. The report said that the ROP confirmed ... Read more

Dhaka girl Nupur takes over as chairman of Unilever for a day

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Seventeen-year-old Nupur from Dhaka, had the opportunity to take over Unilever’s chairman position for one day on Thursday. There, she symbolically carried out the roles and responsibilities of Zaved Akhtar, the chairman and managing director of Unilever Bangladesh, said a press release. Nupur being an active youth club member, works for ... Read more

Hospitals must follow guidelines, orders HC

News Desk : dhakamirror.com The High Court on Thursday asked the government to take steps to make it compulsory to follow the relevant guidelines for the prevention of performing unnecessary caesarean section surgery at government and private hospitals and clinics. The court has also directed the government to widely circulate the guidelines within six months. ... Read more

Woman delivers birth to five babies at DMCH

News Desk : dhakamirror.com A woman has given birth to five premature babies. The quintuplets were born at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) at 10am on Thursday to Mansura Begum, 22, the wife of CNG driver Md Mamun from Bandardia village in Shibpur upazila of Narsingdi district. One of the newborns, however, died shortly ... Read more

Tk8.44 cr fine imposed to Kazi Farms, 3.44 crore to Suguna Food

News Desk : dhakamirror.com The Bangladesh Competition Commission has fined Kazi Farms Group and Saguna Food and Feeds on charges of market manipulation causing abnormal rise in broiler chicken prices. BCC officials said that the companies must deposit the fine amount to the BCC within 10 working days. If they fail to deposit the fine ... Read more

Heritage volunteers visit national museum

News Desk : dhakamirror.com The heritage volunteers participating in UNESCO World Heritage Volunteers Programme 2023 visited national museum in Dhaka on Sunday. The ten-day workshop programme organised by Nagar Upakhyan-Perceive started on October 1, said a press release. The Heritage volunteers’ team visited national museum which is on the UNESCO World Heritage tentative list on ... Read more

Fare for Bangladesh-India trains to increase from November 10

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Ticket prices of three inter-country trains on Bangladesh-India routes are going to be hiked from November 10. The fares are going to increase due to high exchange rate of US dollar and rising travel tax, according to the Bangladesh Railway officials. The trains are – Maitree Express on Dhaka-Kolkata, Bandhan Express ... Read more

Man, nephew killed by lightning

News Desk : dhakamirror.com A man and his nephew were struck by lightning in Satarbari village of Longair union under Gafargaon upazila of Mymensingh yesterday. The deceased were identified as Sohel Mondol, 40, a trader of pharmaceutical drugs, and his nephew Razib Mondol, 35 a rice trader in the village. Quoting locals, Raju Ahmed, officer-in-charge ... Read more

TV sales decline despite World Cup: Is streaming to blame?

News Desk : dhakamirror.com The ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 captures the attention of sports enthusiasts across the world and an intriguing trend is emerging in Bangladesh’s television market. While events of this magnitude have traditionally led to an increase in TV sales, recent figures from September show a 30% decline compared to the same ... Read more

Heritage volunteers visit Paharpur archaeological museum

News Desk : dhakamirror.com The heritage volunteers participating in UNESCO World Heritage Volunteers Programme 2023 visited Paharpur archaeological museum in Naogaon on Friday. The ten-day workshop programme organised by Nagar Upakhyan-Perceive started on October 1, said a press release. The Heritage volunteers’ team visited Paharpur archaeological museum which is on the UNESCO World Heritage tentative ... Read more

Child among three dead as mud walls collapsed in rain in Gazipur

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Three people including an eight-year-old child died in separate incidents of mud walls collapsing during heavy rain in Sadar and Kaliakoir upazilas of Gazipur. The deceased are Faridul Islam, 8, son of Matiur Rahmon of Konabari Baimile under Sadar upazila, and Imarat Hossain, 65, and his wife Achia Begum, 56, of ... Read more