Chu Lap-wai backs lower cap on registered SIM cards
Bastillepost · 2 SOURCESabout 2 hours ago5 MIN
Summary
Election Committee constituency lawmaker Chu Lap-wai (朱立威) said he supports lowering the cap on how many prepaid SIM cards an individual can register under Hong Kong’s real-name registration system. He said the current rule allows each person to register 10 SIM cards with each telecom operator, which is excessive given that Hong Kong has about 31 operators including virtual network providers, taking the total possible number to more than 300 cards per person. He said a previously proposed reduction to three cards per operator is appropriate because more than 90% of individual users currently register three or fewer cards with each operator. Chu also backed a proposed new offence to criminalise using another person’s identity to register a SIM card without reasonable excuse, while suggesting exemptions may be needed for family visitors or legitimate business use.
Key Points
- The Commerce and Economic Development Bureau is conducting a full review of the real-name SIM registration regime to strengthen prevention and enforcement against telecom fraud.
- Chu said the current limit of 10 registered SIM cards per person for each operator is too high under the existing legal framework.
- Including virtual network operators, Hong Kong has about 31 telecom providers, meaning one person can now register more than 300 SIM cards.
- Authorities previously suggested reducing the per-operator cap for individual users from 10 cards to three cards, a level Chu called suitable.
- Chu said over 90% of individual users register three or fewer SIM cards per operator, and even after a cut they could still register more than 90 cards overall.
Why It Matters
If the cap is lowered, the change would tighten a part of the registration system that Chu argues can currently be exploited at scale because of the large number of operators. The proposed new offence could also close what he described as a regulatory gap over the lending, renting or sale of already registered SIM cards, though any final law may need carve-outs for ordinary family and business situations.