The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC), in collaboration with the National Telecommunication Monitoring Centre, launched an enforcement operation and found that a total of 8,682 SIM cards were being used for illegal VoIP international termination calls. A combined fine of 86.8 million Bangladeshi taka (approximately USD 710,000) was imposed on the country’s four major mobile operators, with a penalty of 10,000 taka per involved SIM card.
The enforcement investigation was completed in Comilla and Chattogram. The penalty amounts vary significantly across the four operators: Robi Axiata faces the highest fine of 59.35 million taka for 5,935 involved SIM cards; Banglalink is fined 18.82 million taka for 1,882 involved SIM cards; state-owned operator Teletalk is fined 6.81 million taka for 681 involved SIM cards; and Grameenphone is fined 1.84 million taka for 184 involved SIM cards. The regulator determined that the operators failed to fulfill their control obligations under relevant regulations, licenses, and previous regulatory notices, and were unable to prevent SIM cards from being misappropriated for illegal VoIP services. The BTRC has required the operators to pay the full fine and submit proof of payment within 10 days; further legal proceedings will be initiated in case of逾期, and judicial lawsuits have also been filed in the jurisdictions where the involved SIM cards are registered.
All operators have raised objections to the penalties. Banglalink stated that most of the problematic SIM cards had already been identified and deactivated by its own system, arguing that the penalty lacks legal basis. Grameenphone claimed that it complies with biometric real-name registration and self-regulatory rules, and that the users who abused the SIM cards should be held accountable. For its part, Robi stated that it has not yet received an official formal notice, and that over 95% of the involved SIM cards mentioned in media reports have already been blocked by the company itself.
Bangladesh is continuously strengthening SIM card risk management and control. Operators will tighten SIM card risk control and abnormal traffic monitoring, and cross-border service providers should pay attention to potential fluctuations in number risk control and interception on local channels.
