The government has limited the number of SIM card registrations, allowing telecommunication companies to register a maximum of 10 cards for each Maldivian citizen.
The limit was set in accordance with Article 120 of the Maldives Telecommunications Act in the new regulations on the issuance and usage of mobile phone numbers in the Maldives. The regulations state that telecommunication companies in the Maldives are now required to register a maximum of 10 SIM cards for each citizen or private business, while foreign nationals and tourists are limited to three cards.
Additionally, the regulations do not limit the number of SIM cards for government agencies and state institutions. Any party that wishes to register more than the prescribed amount of SIM cards will need to submit a request to the Communications Authority of Maldives (CAM). The new regulations are set to come into effect within one month.
Speaking to PSM News, Deputy Director General Zulaikha Ibrahim of CAM said that individuals with more than the prescribed amount of SIM cards will be given three months after the regulations come into effect to select which cards they wish to continue using. After which, the telecommunication companies will have the authority to deactivate the cards.
CAM stated that the purpose of the new regulations is to define the rules for issuing and using mobile phone numbers. The authority stated that this will also boost the efforts to curb the increasing number of cyber crime offences in the Maldives.
Under the regulations, companies that have telecommunication service provider licenses will be authorised to issue SIM cards. In addition, the cards will need to be in a non-activated status when it is issued to customers and the cards should only be activated after the relevant authorities confirm the identity of the customer. If a service provider or an agent violates the regulations, they will be given a warning for the first offence, a USD649 for the second offence, USD1,300 for the third offence, and USD3,200 for further offences.