Re-registration of SIM cards begins Sunday
The three-month-long re-registration process of mobile SIM cards is going to start from Sunday. This will help verify already registered SIMs across the country.
All registered SIMs must be verified to enjoy uninterrupted service. Besides, re-registration will be required for SIMs that were not registered accurately, said Tarana Halim, state minister for post and telecommunications.
The state minister came up with the announcement during a view-exchange meeting with Telecom Reporters Network, Bangladesh (TRNB), a platform of journalists working in the countrys telecommunication sector, at her Secretariat office yesterday.
However, details of such verification or re-registration process will be made public by next Sunday, Tarana said.
Unregistered SIMs will be deactivated after the three-month period, she said, adding, But weve kept a scope for deactivated SIMs, and they could be activated through re-registration following due procedures.
The state minister said that after completing the re-registration process, the list of illegal SIMs will be handed over to the Ministry of Home Affairs. She also said that directions have been given to operators to order all retailers and distributors to discontinue the use of illegal SIMs.
With regard to the re-registration process, Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) chairman Sunil Kanti Bose said they have initiated a online verification process for SIM cards. Mentioning their initiative to give mobile phone operators access to the National ID (NID) server to ensure customer identification, Bose said the BTRC will also set up a loop in its office to monitor the verification process.
The operators have already collected modern equipment, and they will start the verification and registration processes with customers thump prints after getting access to the NID server, he added.
On October 11, 2012, the BTRC had decided that telecom operators would not be able to sell pre-activated SIM cards. It had also said that if any customer uses an unregistered SIM, the operator has to pay USD 50 as fine. However, the law is yet to be enforced.
According to BTRC statistics till July, six mobile phone operators in the country have a total of 12.87 crore subscribers.
