Five-SIM limit proposed per NID, 40m connections at risk

The government is considering reducing the maximum number of SIM cards that can be registered against a single National Identity Card (NID) from 10 to five, a move that could result in the deactivation of up to 40 million connections, according to mobile operators.

No final decision has been made yet on the proposed limit.

Operators estimate that around 40 million SIMs could be deactivated if customers with more than five registered connections are required to bring their numbers within the proposed limit.

The actual number of connections affected would depend on the final policy and its implementation process.

The proposal also includes tighter restrictions on obtaining new SIMs. A customer may have to wait seven days before registering another SIM against the same NID, while additional verification could be required for registering more than two SIMs under a single NID.

Security agencies have raised concerns that biometric information is being collected from customers through deception and subsequently used to register SIMs without their knowledge. Such connections have allegedly been used for financial fraud, forgery and other crimes.

Under the proposed system, registrations exceeding two SIMs would undergo additional checks through the Central Biometric Verification Monitoring Platform and the police’s Crime Data Management System.

The proposals were discussed at the Home Ministry amid concerns over weaknesses in SIM registration and the use of mobile financial services and other digital platforms for criminal activities, according to relevant sources.

Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) data show that more than 67.59 million customers currently use nearly 190 million SIMs in the country.

The maximum number of SIMs allowed against one NID was reduced from 15 to 10 in July 2025. A subsequent proposal to cut the limit to five was not implemented.

Telecom authorities said any final decision would consider both national security concerns and the potential inconvenience to ordinary customers.