Government Plans to Provide SIM Cards to Rohingya Refugees

Dhaka, August 13, 2025 – The interim government of Bangladesh is considering providing legal mobile SIM cards to the Rohingya population residing in the country, addressing security concerns related to their current use of unauthorized SIMs from both Bangladesh and Myanmar. While Rohingya refugees, numbering over 1.2 million, currently lack legal access to SIM cards, many use SIMs obtained illegally, raising concerns about potential misuse in criminal activities.

According to sources, discussions have already taken place this month with mobile operators to explore the possibility of providing SIM cards to the Rohingya. The initiative follows a 2023 proposal under the previous government to allow state-owned Teletalk to distribute SIMs to the refugees, which did not materialize. On Monday, the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) held a meeting with the country’s four mobile operators to discuss the plan. Sources indicate that the government aims to distribute an initial batch of 10,000 SIMs by August 25, coinciding with Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus’s planned visit to a Rohingya camp. ### Proposed Plan for SIM Distribution Under current regulations, SIM card registration requires identification documents and biometric verification, which the Rohingya lack. To address this, the government is exploring alternative identification methods. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) maintains a database with unique registration numbers, known as “Progress IDs,” for the Rohingya. The plan is to issue SIMs to individuals aged 18 and above based on these IDs. The UNHCR would directly receive these SIMs, and the data would be stored at the Bangladesh Computer Council’s (BCC) data center, with the transfer of the database to the government expected to be completed by November. As a pilot project, the Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner’s Office aims to distribute 10,000 SIMs by August 25. Mobile operators will offer three types of packages, with costs covered by either the UNHCR or the government. Once the new SIMs are issued, any illegally obtained SIMs registered with Bangladeshi national IDs will be deactivated. BTRC Chairman Major General (Retd.) Emdad Ul Bari emphasized that identification remains a key issue. “Ensuring the identity of Rohingya camp residents is critical. Without proper verification, SIMs cannot be issued. Discussions are ongoing to address this,” he told Prothom Alo. ### Operators’ Perspectives Grameenphone’s Chief Corporate Affairs Officer Tanvir Mohammad welcomed the initiative, stating, “We support the government’s decision to allow legal SIM sales in Rohingya camps, which will enable many to access SIMs through lawful means.” However, Robi Axiata’s Chief Corporate and Regulatory Officer Shahed Alam expressed concerns, noting that if the decision is driven solely by security reasons, the significant investments made by operators in SIM tax compliance could become ineffective. Banglalink’s Head of Corporate Affairs Taimur Rahman urged for a simplified registration process, adding that expanding mobile network coverage in the region would foster a competitive environment.

Technology policy consultant Abu Nazm Md. Tanvir Hossain suggested treating the Rohingya camps as a specialized zone and recommended completely blocking Myanmar’s network signals in the area for security reasons. He also advised seizing and documenting existing illegal SIMs before issuing new ones.