telecom bd

The telecom regulator plans to introduce post-sale activation of cell phone SIM card aimed at curbing the unauthorised selling of SIM cards in the country, a top official of telecom regulator said Friday.

The selling of unregistered SIM (Subscriber Identification Module) has become a threat to the law and order situation as most of the telephony crimes are being planed using such unregistered SIM cards.

"The commission is determined to control the selling of unregistered SIM cards. We've formed a committee, which is now working to this end," Chairman of Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) Major General (retd) Zia Ahmed told BSS.

As part of the commission's initiative to check the telephony crimes, the BTRC has asked the cell phone operators to supplement its efforts in stopping the illegal selling of SIM cards.

Ahmed said the committee, headed by its vice- chairman Giasuddin Ahmed, would finalise the procedure of SIM card selling and activation after consultation with the operators.

The telecom regulator recently seized huge number of unregistered SIM cards from different parts of the country, the BTRC officials said adding that these SIM cards were used for illegal VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) business.

They said criminals use the SIM card for telephony crimes such as life-threat, demanding toll and ransom.

Usually, the SIM card after activation takes seven days to register at the system of the concerned operator, they added.

Officials said almost 0.1 million SIM cards are sold each day in the country and of which most of the SIMs remained unregistered. Around 90 million people of the country are now using cell phones.

A member of the BTRC's SIM regulation committee told BSS that mobile operators issue pre-active SIM cards instead of post active, which bars verification process of SIM card buyers.

"We asked them to take 72 hours for activation of the SIM cards after verifying the buyer information," he added. If any operator fails to comply with the order, they (operators) have to give fine of US$ 50 for each unverified SIM card, the BTRC official said wishing anonymity.

"At present, it is not a difficult job for the operators to verify the SIM card user as it could be done using the national ID card provided by the government," the committee member added.

He also said the commission would make a policy on SIM card registration shortly.

Earlier, BTRC Chairman Zia Ahmed said the operators' duty is not only to disconnect their SIM cards, rather they should have the responsibility for unregistered SIM cards.