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
