BTRC to deactivate extra SIMs beyond limit from Saturday

NN ONLINE:

Mobile  operators will begin from Saturday deactivating additional SIM cards registered under a single national ID (NID) if the number exceeds 10, as per a directive from the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC).

In a recent notice, the regulator said that any excess SIMs will be automatically deactivated from November.  Users who fail to deactivate extra SIMs themselves risk losing access to randomly selected, possibly important numbers.

Earlier, on July 30, BTRC announced that no individual will be allowed to hold more than 10 active SIMs under one NID, reducing the previous limit of 15. Subscribers can deregister extra SIMs through their respective mobile operators’ customer care services. BTRC Chairman Major General (retd) Md Emdad Ul Bari said operators will start the deactivation process from Saturday, adding that by December, no NID will have more than 10 active SIMs.

According to the regulator, as of March 2025, there were 186.2 million active SIMs in Bangladesh, while the actual number of users stood at around 67.5 million.  Over 80% of subscribers use fewer than five SIMs, 16% use between six and 10, and only 3% have more than 10.

The move aims to restore order in SIM management and prevent fraud, BTRC officials said. Subscribers can check how many SIMs are registered under their NID either online or by dialing *16002#. Officials also noted that SIM deactivation will follow a random selection process, meaning even an important number may be deactivated if it exceeds the limit.