Control On Sim Cards Tightened

[george]

Control on SIM cards tightened

New hassle for prepaid users going to South

BANGKOK: -- Prepaid mobile phone users travelling to the restive South have to tell their operators in advance or their phones will be cut off when they get there, under a new government measure to tackle terror.

The measure will take immediate effect under an agreement reached at a meeting chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Chaturon Chaisaeng and attended by staff from the Information and Communications Technology Ministry, TOT Corporation and CAT Telecom.

The government is trying to curb the rising number of mobile phones being used to trigger bombs in the deep South.

Meanwhile, the government says the nationwide identification of the current 22 million prepaid mobile phone users scheduled to take place on May 10 will go ahead without any changes.

The government will also ask all prepaid mobile phone users in Songkhla, Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat to report their identities in the next two weeks. Those who fail to do so by the May 15 deadline will have their phones deactivated.

TOT president Teeravit Charuwat said the main aim was to deactivate all prepaid SIM cards in the four southernmost provinces which are not registered.

People from outside travelling with prepaid mobile phones to these four provinces must notify their operators in advance or their phones will be cut off while there.

TOT and CAT are the concession holders of all mobile phone services. Mr Chaturon told them to tell concessionaires immediately of the measures.

He said Advanced Info Service has 108,000 prepaid SIM cards in these provinces, while CAT Telecom has only small numbers of prepaid phones in use which could be controlled more easily.

Meanwhile, one mobile phone operator said private operators were confused about the measures on the control of prepaid SIM cards and wanted to see the details in print. Verbal orders were no good in the event of a legal dispute.

''Do we need to set up counters to take registrations, and terminate all those who fail to register immediately when the deadline expires? We need a clearer picture,'' he said. If TOT and CAT wanted their concessionaires [private operators] to abide by the concession agreements, then a written instruction was needed.

He described the situation as a ''vaccuum'' with the state reluctant to issue orders on paper despite the fact private operators were ready to comply. In terms of technology, private operators could do what the state wanted immediately.

AIS executive vice-president for engineering Vichien Mektrakarn said AIS needed to know exactly what the state wanted _ for example if it wanted AIS to deactivate users in the four southernmost provinces who failed to register.

--Bangkok Post 2005-04-30

[Totster]

Is this really going to stop people from using mobile phones to triiger bombs...?

How will the mobile phone operators know if the information given to them is correct..?

Surely somebody would be able to use a pre paid Sim from another country that isn't registered, from Malaysia for instance ( do they register pre paid sims ?).

Totster

[Explorer]

Surely somebody would be able to use a pre paid Sim from another country that isn't registered,  from Malaysia for instance ( do they register pre paid sims ?).

Totster 

last time i checked - nope

Explorer

[george]

Update:

STOPPING BOMBS: Registration of SIMs to be expedited

Chaturon pushes telecoms to be ready in 3 months

BANGKOK: -- The government is to speed up the implementation of its requirement for the registration of buyers of prepaid SIM cards in four southern provinces, possibly by mid-May, a senior official yesterday.

Deputy Prime Minister Chaturon Chaisang said a meeting on Thursday of representatives of the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), CAT Telecom Plc and TOT Corporation Plc agreed that CAT and TOT could use their contacts to get the mobile operators - as a duty - to gather and submit names of their customers with non-registered SIM cards already in use and submit them to the authorities.

Mobile-phone operators should get this done in less than three months, he said.

“We have to hurry to get this completed [inPattani, Yala, Narathiwat and Songkhla] because there are bomb attacks almost every day,” said Chaturon, adding that the authorities were also trying to decide how to make non-registered SIM cards unusable in the four provinces.

The registration of SIM cards, which is also intended to include non-registered numbers from abroad, should be completed in less than three months, said Chaturon, who is acting Information and Communications Technology minister.

He said he had assigned the regional mobile-telephone operators to look at the technicalities on how to prevent non-registered people from using the phones in their areas. “If this is the way to prevent bomb attacks we should enforce it,” he added.

Chaturon also yesterday asked CAT and TOT to cooperate with the Ministry of Transport to prevent bomb attacks by people using mobile phones - possibly by sending blocking signals from time to time so that would-be perpetrators could not use the phones to trigger bombs, he added.

Mobile operators have already agreed to require customers buying prepaid SIM cards to register their names and provide identification, starting on May 10.

--The Nation 2005-04-30

[Totster]

So what does the registration require...?

Will it require an address...? How will it affect farang who want to purchase a pre paid card... ? or who already own one..?

It's alright them wanting to do this ASAP, but have they thought it through properly..?

totster

[Totster]

The registration of SIM cards, which is also intended to include non-registered numbers from abroad

How are they gonna do that then...?

totster

[Greer]

...........but have they thought it through properly..?

...where are we living...??

[socalbro]

So before cell phones were commonplace how were bombs triggered? This problem has been around alot longer than that. I'm guessing that it only requires an electrical impulse into an explosive to detonate it, right? how about walkie talkies, tv remote controls, remote control car toys, digital timers.

I know nothing about the subgect except what I've read in spy novels so if I'm wrong let me know. But this solution seems a bit over the top and not a real solution to a real problem...Just politicans trying to look like they are doing something which does very litte in the end, if anything at all.

It even seems like there may be some ulterior motives involved here related to the phone service providers, that's my conspiricy theory. The marketing possibilities are unlimited with the mailing list they will be creating.

And of course to tap into a private conversation by police or other "authority figures" will be able to now link that call to the phone owner and address. Just think of all the control possibilities here. Is there anything remotly like due process here or can big brother drop on anyone he wants and use what is heard to make arrests.

I guess it could help a small bit with the bombs, they'll just find new and better ways to kill people. I'm just used to being in a country where privacy is protected and legislation is not just imposed on a whim.

Hey nowhere is perfect...and I still prefer it here.