SIM recycling period may be shortened to one year

The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) may shorten the SIM recycling period for mobile operators from one and a half years to one year.

According to BTRC sources, a decision has already been taken in this regard last week.

The SIM recycling period refers to the period of time that must pass after a SIM card (or phone number) is deactivated before it can be reassigned or recycled to a new user by phone operators.

Currently, if a mobile phone subscriber does not recharge within 15 months after the expiration of their talk time or data validity, the operator has the right to terminate the connection. After providing a 3-month notice, the operator can reassign the number to another customer after 18 months.

Under the new one-year policy, subscribers are likely to have 11 months before the operator can terminate the connection, with a one-month notice period before it is reassigned.

Mobile operators have been urging the regulator to shorten the recycling period, citing limited capacity in number series. They argue that if connections remain inactive for an extended period, it reduces their ability to allocate numbers to new customers. 

In other countries like Malaysia, India, Pakistan, and the USA, connections typically remain dormant for two to six months, ensuring operators don't lose out on potential revenue.

However, upon mobile operators' requests, the BTRC is set to let consumers buy additional tenure for their unused connections.

BTRC sources told TBS that customers can own their dormant connection for two years by paying some Tk300 and for three years at a cost of Tk450. The fee will not give the users any talk time or data.

Operators told TBS that they are yet to receive any instruction in this regard as the regulator internally decided on the change last week.