BTRC's new rule: No more than 10 SIMs will be active in one NID

The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) is bringing a major change to the country's mobile SIM system. From Saturday (November 1), no person can have more than 10 active SIMs according to their National Identity Card (NID). Mobile operators will start the process of deactivating excess SIMs from today.

The BTRC recently said in a notification that after October 30, more than 10 SIMs will be automatically deactivated. Earlier, the organization had said that a citizen could use a maximum of 15 SIMs, but from November 1, this number is being limited to 10.

BTRC Chairman Major General (Retd.) Emdad ul Bari said, "Operators will start deactivating excess SIMs from Saturday and it will be ensured that no more than 10 SIMs will be active in the name of any NID by December."

According to statistics, the total number of active mobile SIMs in the country as of March 2025 is 186.2 million, while the actual number of subscribers is only 67.5 million. Of these, more than 80 percent of customers have less than 5 SIMs in their names, about 16 percent use 6 to 10 SIMs, and only 3 percent use more than 11 SIMs.

BTRC said that this decision has been taken to establish discipline in the SIM system and prevent fraud. Customers can check the number of SIMs registered in their NID online or by dialing *16002#.

However, it is important to note that the 'random selection' policy will be followed in deactivating SIMs. As a result, a SIM that someone is using regularly may also be deactivated. Therefore, customers are advised to be careful and use the operator's customer care as needed to de-register the SIM.