NBTC Board moves to tighten SIM box regulation to curb tech crimes

Pol Gen Nathathorn Prousoontorn, a commissioner of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC), announced on Tuesday, (April 29, 2025), that the NBTC board has resolved to conduct a public hearing on a draft regulation concerning telecommunication equipment and radio stations exempted from licensing under the 1955 Radio Communications Act (No. 3).

The core of the new regulation is the revocation of the previous exemption that allowed SIM boxes meeting certain technical standards to be used, imported, exported, or traded without a license.

Once the new regulation is enacted, individuals or entities wishing to possess, use, import, export, or trade SIM boxes—defined as devices supporting four or more SIM cards—will be required to obtain authorisation from the NBTC. 

The aim is to build a database that allows telecom operators to trace connections and help prevent and suppress tech-related crimes such as call centre scams.

Key Takeaways from the NBTC Board Meeting:

All SIM box imports and usage must be pre-approved to identify importers, users, and resale recipients.

The NBTC will collect and record each SIM box’s IMEI number.

Unregistered SIM boxes will be blocked from accessing telephone and internet networks, making illegally imported devices completely unusable.

This regulation brings so-called “underground” SIM boxes into legal oversight. These devices have frequently been exploited by scam call centres.

Like SIM cards, authorised use of SIM boxes will require user identification and registration. If the device is later used for criminal purposes, the registered owner will be held accountable.

Nathathorn warned that failure to comply with the new rules would constitute a violation of Section 6, Paragraph 2 and Section 11, Paragraph 4 of the Radio Communications Act, as amended by the 1992 (No. 3) version. Offenders face up to five years’ imprisonment or a fine of up to 100,000 baht.

The NBTC has been tasked with expediting the public hearing process and presenting the final version to the board for quick implementation. The goal is to close loopholes that allow scam call centres to misuse SIM boxes in deceiving the public.

He also noted that after the Thai government began aggressively cracking down on call centre gangs, scam reports dropped to their lowest level in February 2025. However, the numbers have recently begun to rise slightly again. A recent report from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) indicated that Southeast Asian call centre and scam gangs, once concentrated along the borders of Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia, have shifted their operations to Africa and South America due to intense law enforcement action.

Still, Nathathorn warned that Thailand must remain vigilant, as these transnational scams can continue to target Thai citizens, especially if local individuals are recruited to collaborate, even from overseas locations like Africa or South America.