Police for crackdown on pre-activated SIM cards -The Hindu 02 08 10

Police for crackdown on pre-activated SIM cards
Laiqh A. Khan and Raghava M.

They are available at a throwaway price without ID proof

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Schemes aimed at students has found many takers
‘Security is being compromised by service providers'

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— File Photo: Bhagya Prakash K.

The police have written to the DoT to stop such schemes. BANGALORE: It is not just misuse of address proof documents by retail SIM card dealers that has become a cause for concern to the police. But, also the availability of pre-activated SIM cards at a throwaway price without submitting any proof of identity in gross violation of Department of Telecom (DoT) guidelines.
Instead of recharging their mobile phones with currency, a large number of customers are now opting for new schemes that offer a pre-activated SIM card with talk time worth Rs. 40 for just Rs. 20.
The scheme, though aimed at students, has found takers among a large number of mobile phone-users. As soon as the talk time is exhausted, they dump the SIM card and purchase a new one. “They (mobile phone-users) don't mind calling from a new number every time they purchase a new SIM card,” said a retailer.
But, the police are worried over the manner in which security is being “compromised” by telecom service providers. “We can't keep our eyes closed when such marketing is having serious repercussions on the security. Clearly, it can be misused. We have written to the DoT to stop such schemes,” said Director-General and Inspector-General of Police Ajai Kumar Singh.
Police officials said persons indulging in crime were found to be in possession of SIM cards obtained without submitting any valid identity proof.
During the recent raids, the Bangalore police stumbled upon a large cache of pre-activated SIM cards with retailers. “We are referring these cases to the DoT's Telecom Enforcement, Resources and Monitoring (TERM) Cell,” Joint Commissioner of Bangalore City Police Alok Kumar said.
Penalty
He said the penalty for distribution of pre-activated SIM cards without adhering to DoT guidelines could go up to Rs. 50,000.
However, a representative of a leading mobile phone service provider said such schemes help telecom players reach their target.
Our comments: Pl read the last few lines of this article.  There are some misconceptions that BSNL is not having huge market share.  BSNL has to follow certain rules and regulations. Last lines itself will show how telecom players reach their target.