The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) announced a new policy capping individuals at a maximum of 10 mobile SIM cards, effective August 15, 2025. This stricter limit reduces the previous cap of 15 SIMs per user, introduced in 2017, to curb SIM-related fraud and criminal misuse.
The move follows rising concerns from law enforcement about excessive SIM ownership facilitating extortion, impersonation, and cloning of officials’ numbers. Although SIM registration procedures were updated in 2022, the user limit remained unchanged until now.
BTRC data indicates that about 6.7 million SIMs registered to around 2.6 million users will be deactivated under the new rule. Mobile operators will receive lists of users exceeding the limit and must help them select their 10 preferred SIMs, prioritizing frequently used numbers and those linked to mobile financial services.
As of May 2025, Bangladesh had 187.61 million active SIMs but only about 67.5 million unique subscribers. Most users hold fewer than five SIMs, with just 3% exceeding the new cap.
The BTRC emphasized that this regulation enhances national security, accountability, and aligns with global best practices to improve mobile number allocation and sector transparency.
