The directorate said users must register their SIM cards at the shops where they were bought in accordance with the law. When buying new SIM cards, customers are required to make the first call, SMS, or top-up within six-month. If they fail to do, the SIM cards would be blocked and the number re-allocated to new users.

“If the SIM cards are not used for long time, they will be waste. It is not easy to make SIM cards. There are many processes,” said Ma May Myo Han, information officer for Ooredoo Myanmar.

Buyers of new SIM cards are required to make a top-up within 60 days of activation. If the customers fail to do, the SIM card will be set on a one-way block. This means the customers can only receive incoming calls. All outgoing calls, SMS, data and chargeable services would be blocked. They need to top-up within 60 days for reactivation.

SIM cards on a one-way block, which are not activated within two months, will be downgraded to two-way block, wherein all services are blocked.

The users have another two months to reactivate the SIM card. Failure to do so means the SIM cards can no longer be used.

Ma May Myo Han said there are too many unused SIM cards in the country today.

According to estimates there are over 25 million MPT users, over 21 million Telenor users, over 10 million Ooredoo users, and 7 million Mytel users in the country.

In March last year the Department of Communications issued a directive that each person would only be allowed to use two different SIM cards.

The government required the registering of SIM cards upon purchase since 2016 but very few people followed the orders.

Telecommunications service operators said it is important to register SIM cards for safe use of growing digital payment services, public safety, among others.  – Translated

Source: https://www.mmtimes.com/news/goverment-block-sim-cards-not-used-within-six-months.html