NBTC secretary-general Takorn Tantasith confirmed the ruling that people who buy SIM cards before the deadline will still only have to have their ID cards or, in the case of foreign tourists, their passports scanned. Once the deadline has passed, people buying SIM cards are going to have their fingerprints scanned.
This will only apply to Thai nationals on implementation day as the fingerprints will be matched to the buyer’s entry on the national ID card database. The plan which would have required overseas visitors to have their faces scanned and matched with their passport photographs has been shelved for the time being.
12GO ASIA explains the reason for the delay is simply down to cost. Citing a statement issued by the NBTC’s Prawit Leesatapornwongsa, the team noted that fingerprint scanners were far cheaper than face scanners. Fingerprint scanners are already in place in the likes of 7-Eleven stores and AIS and TRUE outlets whereas face scanners have primarily been distributed in the far south of the country.
Thai telecoms bureau clarifies new rules on SIM card registration
News in Asia
Thailand’s National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) has issued an update on the new regulations for the purchase of SIM cards for mobile telephones. The rules will still be effective from the 15 December but will only apply to new cards and not old ones.