Business

The Cabinet of Ministers in Sri Lanka has approved new rules to re-register the subscriber information of mobile phone SIM cards that were issued before August 2, 2019. According to the Sri Lanka Telecommunications Act No. 25 of 1991, the registration rules for SIM cards were first introduced on August 2, 2019, and these rules only apply to cards issued after that date. This has led to issues because telecommunications providers lack information on some subscribers who registered their SIM cards before the cut-off date, creating challenges during legal investigations, as stated by the Cabinet Spokesman. Additionally, there is a recognized need to register subscribers aged 16 and 17, as well as to create new regulations for issuing SIM cards to foreign nationals. To address these needs, the President, who is also the Digital Economy Minister, proposed the introduction of these new regulations and amendments to the existing SIM card registration rules. This proposal has now received approval from the Cabinet.