Prepaid SIM card registration to be limited: Two per telco for M'sians, two in total for foreigners

THE Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) will tighten guidelines for registering prepaid SIM cards in the country.

Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching said that among the proposals being examined is a maximum limit of two prepaid numbers per telco for Malaysians.

She said that foreigners are only allowed to have two prepaid numbers regardless of which telco company is used.

She said that the new guidelines for registering prepaid SIM cards are targeted to be implemented in the first quarter of next year.

“Based on the guidelines since 2017, individuals can register up to five prepaid numbers for each telecommunications company.

“This makes it a fairly large number for individuals,” she said when answering a supplementary question from Dr Mohammed Taufiq Johari (PH-Sungai Petani) at the Dewan Rakyat today.

Teo said the tightened guidelines are hoped to reduce the misuse of prepaid SIM cards for the purpose of fraud, spreading false information or threats.

Earlier, she informed that from January 1, 2022 to October 15, 2025, MCMC had submitted 3,074 applications to service providers to take down 'deepfake' content, with 2,354 contents successfully taken down.

She said that for false content, 55,218 applications were made and 46,966 contents taken down.

"This action was taken based on complaints received and community guidelines set by each platform, in line with local laws," she said.

In the meantime, she said, MCMC is studying the introduction of age and identity verification methods for users to ensure practical feasibility on online platforms.

She explained that the move is aimed at reducing the risk of exposure to harmful content, especially for child users, as well as online fraud involving business entities. – October 22, 2025