Home ›› 11 Sep 2022 ›› Front
The government is going to provide SIMs of Bangladeshi mobile operators to Rohingya people living at different camps in Cox’s Bazar, Post and Telecommunication Minister Mustafa Jabbar has said.
The government undertook the initiative in a bid to disable Myanmar’s network in Bangladesh territory, as well as to stop criminal activities being carried out by using illegal SIMs by the displaced Rohingyas.
The minister told this correspondent, “Myanmar’s mobile operators’ signal is available in Bangladesh territory and their SIMs are being used by Rohingyas inside our territory, which is a big threat to the internal security.
“So, we, in association with the cooperation from the home ministry, foreign ministry and other authorities concerned, have taken the necessary initiatives to stop it, The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) is implementing the initiative.”
He added, “Rohingyas are also using Bangladeshi SIMs illegally, and we are trying to settle the issue in a much planned way so that the displaced Myanmar people cannot use Myanmar SIMs.
“We will make special packages for them so that they can use the service cheaply and the BTRC has been asked to take necessary initiatives in this regard.”
The BTRC is monitoring everything, the minister said, adding that jammers would be used to prevent Myanmar operator’s signal inside our territory. “This is an offence,” he said.
According to an agreement between the two neighbours, no cellular tower can be set up within three kilometers of the border and Bangladeshi telecom operators maintain this rule. “It has been observed that neither India nor Myanmar is following the treaty,” the minister said.
As Rohingya people do not have national ID or passports, a decision would be made on a strategy to ensure their verifications, said the minister, adding that the telecom regulator will find a way and the guidelines will be made public later.
A technical committee formed by the BTRC has visited Rohingya camps and will put forward a report in this regard, the minister stated.
According to BTRC’s observations, there is an obligation of SIM registration by the Rohingyas in Bangladesh as per the government rules. Rohingya will register a SIM against Family Counting Number (FCN) and Smart ID number.
Thus the identification of a Rohingya can be ensured, the minister said.
A maximum of 5 SIMs can be allowed against the FCN number of each Rohingya family. A Rohingya refugee aged 18 years and above will be given a SIM. Operators will nominate separate retailers to sell SIM cards for a certain period in each of the camps.
To confirm the identity of Rohingyas, separate IDs of Rohingyas will be connected to the Central Biometric Verification Monitoring Platform (CBVMP). The camp area will be under Geo Fencing coverage so that Rohingya refugees cannot use SIM outside the camp.
However, the committee recommended the decision be made based on the opinion of the relevant ministries, armed forces department, law enforcement and intelligence agencies.
The BTRC has formed a technical committee following the request by the law enforcer agencies to take an effective decision in a bid to stop the penetration of Myanmar’s mobile phone network inside Bangladesh’s territory.
The committee visited various camps in July and finalised the report.
