Bahrain TRA institutes prepaid SIM card registration guidelines

The Bahrain Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) has issued strict guidelines on SIM card registration in bid to safeguard consumers from fraud and identity theft related crimes, it has announced.
On December 31, 2015 the TRA issued a regulation introducing a ceiling for the number of prepaid SIM cards consumers may acquire, which has been set at 10 per mobile network operator, meaning an individual may only have a total of 30 prepaid SIM cards registered in his/her name.

The TRA will also prevent the sale of SIM cards in retail shops, permitting them to be sold only through operators’ outlets and authorised resellers who obtain a formal approval from the TRA to conduct the registration and verification processes on behalf of mobile operators.

The new regulation will take effect within seven months from the date of issuance.