The State Duma will continue the fight against the illegal sale of SIM cards

On March 6, the State Duma adopted amendments to the law "On Communications" in the first reading. These amendments restrict the sale of SIM cards in non-stationary trading facilities. The bill was introduced by its co-author, member of the Federation Council Lyudmila Bokova, as reported by Vedomosti.

Deputies proposed similar measures in the Code of Administrative Offenses in 2017, but then the document passed only the first reading. The explanatory note then indicated that unauthorized trade takes place in crowded places - at train stations and in transitions between metro stations.

A separate bill on non-stationary trade is needed in order to eliminate comments on the document and continue work on amendments to the Code of Administrative Offenses, as reported by Bokova.

Over the past two years, various departments have proposed the introduction of increasingly stringent requirements for the sale of SIM cards. The Ministry of Internal Affairs, in particular, stated that the current legislation is not enough. Perhaps the new amendments will force the police to fight such trafficking. According to the authors of the bill, the police will be able to fight violations simply by patrolling the territory. True, experts do not understand that previously the police prevented the use of laws that generally regulate trade.

SIM card sellers who trade on the street are not dealers of the operator, since they do not provide the operator with the necessary information about the subscriber. Accordingly, laws are not respected.

The amendments to the Code of Administrative Offenses suggest introducing administrative responsibility not only for the distribution of SIM cards and conclusion of contracts in non-stationary trading facilities, but also for the late provision of information about subscribers to the operator. So, the amendments say the arrest of illegal sellers of SIM cards - foreigners. The term of arrest is 15 days, after which it is proposed that the perpetrators be expelled from the country.

Roskomnadzor should consider cases of administrative offenses, and police officers will draw up reports. The expulsion of foreigners from the country, according to the authors of the bill, can serve as a preventive effect of the expulsion of foreigners so that others comply with applicable law.

Currently, about 30% of SIM cards in Russia are sold illegally despite all attempts to combat such trade. These 30% include not only the sale of SIM cards on hand, but also sales through legal entities without registration of passport data. The share of gray numbers is reduced due to the fact that operators are struggling with this trend, trying to verify numbers. Nevertheless, the decrease is insignificant - now we can talk no more than about 1-1.5% per year.

According to the Telecom Daily agency, in 2018, 95 million SIM cards were sold in Russia.

According to telecom operators, including VimpelCom and Tele2, they are actively struggling with violations in the circulation of SIM cards. So, Tele2 employees regularly conduct sales point checks, imposing fines on dishonest dealers. VimpelCom strengthens control over the sale of SIM cards by doubling its retail network. Thanks to him, he was able to stimulate legal sales.

Well, the Ministry of Communications at this time proposes to introduce Russian cryptographic protection systems, which are planned to be introduced in new SIM cards. The corresponding draft order was published in September 2018. The agency proposed to oblige telecom operators to switch to new SIM cards. It was reported that operators should identify subscribers using encryption certified by the Federal Security Service (FSB).

One of the problems that arise during a possible transition is that about 260 million SIM cards are served in Russia. When introducing a new standard, 5 billion rubles will be needed to implement the changes. The problem is not only in the cards themselves, but also in the equipment of providers who will work with new "SIM cards".

At the same time, the Ministry of Communications announced that the new-type SIM cards will be reliable if they have to be replaced every 15 months. “The purpose of the proposed regulation is to reduce the risk of violating the integrity, stability of operation and security of the unified telecommunication network of the Russian Federation,” the draft says.