The capping of mobile SIM card ownership at 10 per person was not enforced overnight on Saturday, as several complexities emerged, prompting a phased approach to the process.
Mobile operators will have until 22 December to submit lists of connections to be blocked, after which the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) will approve the closures immediately, officials said.
Earlier in July, the telecom regulator directed individuals with more than 10 SIMs to deactivate their excess connections by notifying their respective operators by 30 October. Since 28 July, users have been barred from purchasing an 11th SIM.
Following the announcement, the number of SIMs exceeding the limit dropped from around 80 lakh to 50 lakh, as many users voluntarily transferred ownership or deactivated extra numbers.
According to BTRC sources, about 26 lakh users owned excess SIMs in July, which has since fallen to between 10 lakh and 15 lakh.
A key question remains over which SIMs will be deemed excess for automatic closure.
BTRC Director of System and Services Lt Col Muhammad Rasheduzzaman told TIMES of Bangladesh on Saturday that operators would be asked to submit proposals by 22 December identifying connections to be blocked.
He said the decision would be made in proportion to an operator’s share of a person’s total SIMs. “For example, if someone owns 15 SIMs from GP, Robi, and Banglalink, five must be deactivated. Operators will propose which ones to close based on the proportion.”
According to officials, the operator with the largest share will surrender the most connections during rounding off, while no single SIM from an operator can be shut down forcefully.
SIMs linked to mobile financial service (MFS) accounts will remain active. If all SIMs belong to one operator, the least active numbers will be targeted for closure.
Blocked numbers cannot be resold within six months. During this period, users will be allowed to deactivate less-used connections and reactivate a blocked SIM if necessary, said BTRC System and Services Division Deputy Director Mohammad Farhan Alam.
Lt Col Rasheduzzaman said the decision to limit SIM ownership followed repeated requests from law enforcement agencies, as criminals and fraudsters often use multiple SIMs to evade tracking.
He added that the government and BTRC are discussing further tightening the limit. From early next year, no one is likely to be allowed to buy a sixth SIM.
