The government gave a new guide line to the authorities concerned to tighten the rules for sale and registration of new SIM / Subscriber Identity Module cards to reduce the rising trend of extortion and threats to high-profile people over mobile phones.
The directives were issued at a meeting with the home affairs minister, Sahara Khatun, in the chair, in line with the recommendations of a committee formed for containing cell phone crimes.

From now on each subscriber will need the national identity card and an introducer for buying a SIM card from any mobile phone operator. Also A subscriber will have to write the name of his/her introducer with contact number in the SIM card registration form. The Election Commission will have to verify the national identity number of the buyer before the registration process is completed.
With this new Mobile phone registration process Youths and girls under 18 will not be able to buy SIM cards as they don’t have any National Identification Card. The operators must submit the police verification reports before appointing as salesman of SIM cards. 
  
After the meeting home affairs minister  said to the reporter,‘SIM cards (cell phone service) are now so available that you will get one even from a betel leaf seller. The extortionists and criminals are using SIM cards which are not properly registered…Now the production and inclusion of each buyer’s national ID number will be made mandatory for registration of a SIM card,’ She also mentioned , “Anyone who wants to be a SIM card dealer will need at least the minimum educational qualification of a Secondary School Certificate.”
The commissioner of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police, AKM Shahidul Haque, said that they would file cases against mobile phone operators if any of their subscribers use unregistered SIM cards for extortion or terrorism.

The authorities concerned had so far blocked operation of two lakh SIM cards following reports of various crimes including extortion and terrorism over cell phones. According to BTRC’s records, At present six mobile phone companies are operating in the country and the total number of active mobile phone subscribers was 53.83 million till January 2010.

Among others, state minister for home affairs Shamsul Haque Tuku, senior officials of law enforcement agencies, chairman of Bangladesh Telecommuni-cations Regulatory Commi-ssion Zia Ahmed, representatives of the country’s cell phone operators were also present in the meeting.

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