BTRC to cut SIM ownership limit to 10 per person
Staff Correspondent
The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) plans to lower the mobile SIM ownership limit for individuals from 15 to 10, according to officials.
They say the move is being considered following recommendations from security agencies.
Confirming the development, a senior BTRC official said the decision might be made public within a few days.
"A dozen unused SIM cards per individual is a burden and a waste of resources for the telecom industry, while also increasing the risk of criminal activities using mobile numbers," the official told The Business Standard today (24 May).
He added that the decision would not negatively impact users or the industry, as only around 3% of users have more than 10 SIMs registered under their names.
To curb crime, the BTRC made SIM registration against users' national identity card numbers mandatory in 2015. In 2017, it capped individual SIM ownership at 15.As of June 2024, multiple SIM ownership pushed mobile operators' total subscriber count to over 19.6 crore – surpassing the country's population – while the Association of Mobile Telecom Operators of Bangladesh estimates around 45% of the population remains unconnected.
