Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil has announced yesterday that MyDigital ID will be made mandatory for all prepaid SIM card registrations in Malaysia. The move is aimed at strengthening security and to address loopholes with the current system which resulted in unusually high number of SIM cards registered under a single name.
During a press conference held yesterday, Fahmi said telcos will be directed to ensure that the SIM card registration process will require MyDigital ID. He added that the MyDigital ID requirement will be enforced by end of this year (November or December) and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) will provide further details later.
The Minister said the decision was made following discussions at the Malaysia Digital Economy and Fourth Industrial Revolution Council (MED4IR) meeting.
Fahmi said several security aspects are being looked at and it includes the number of SIM cards registered per individual, which can be very high. At the moment, each individual can register up to 5 SIM cards per telco and he said a person could possibly obtain up to a total of 60 SIM cards from 12 telcos collectively.
He said the new guidelines for prepaid SIM registrations is seen as one of the ways to close the loophole.
At the moment, there’s no mention of the absolute limit of SIM cards permitted per user across all telcos. It is worth noting that MyDigital ID is currently applicable for Malaysian citizens only.
MyDigital ID is essentially a single-sign on (SSO) platform which doubles as a trusted digital extension to your MyKad. At the moment, it has been integrated with several government apps and it will soon be the mandatory login method for MyJPJ and MyBayar PDRM apps.
Users can download MyDigital ID and complete the verification process via eKYC by taking a photo of the MyKad and a selfie. Alternatively, users can also complete the verification at physical kiosk using their MyKad and fingerprint verification.
All telcos are currently required to verify ID for SIM Card Registrations
At the moment, all prepaid SIM card registrations require mandatory ID verification at the point of activation. This was enforced since 2018 following the introduction of MCMC’s Prepaid Registration Guidelines in 2017. The guideline also sets a maximum limit of 5 SIM cards under one name per telco while those who have obtained more than 5 SIM cards prior will not be affected.
Under the guidelines, the service provider and their dealers are required to ensure information such as Full Name and MyKad/Passport number are verified for prepaid SIM card registrations. For Malaysian citizens, MyKad is used for verification while Foreigners will need to present their passport.
Failure to verify identification for prepaid SIM is a violation under Section 127 of the Communications and Multimedia Act (CMA) 1998 which carries a fine of not more than RM100,000, 2-years imprisonment or both.
The MCMC has in several occasions slapped telcos with compounds for allowing fake SIM card registrations.
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