Bangladesh has ordered to block access to mobile among 1.1 million Rohingya refugees with a view to protecting "national security."

Telecommunication Minister Mustafa Jabbar on Sunday (Sept 1) ordered the country's telecom regulator to act swiftly to shut all facilities and services related to the access to mobile among the Rohingyas.

Following the order, the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission on Monday (Sept 2) issued a directive to all the mobile operators to stop selling SIM/RIM cards and availing mobile phone services at the Rohingya camps within seven days.

The directive came amid the media report on the widespread use of cell phones among the refugees, which Bangladesh deems would risk its "national security, law and order and public interest."

Media reports suggest that mobile phone services are available at the Rohingya camps and the refugees even manage to buy local operators' SIM cards defying a previous ban by the government.

Back on Sept 23, 2017, the government banned the selling of mobile phone SIMs to Rohingyas two months after the influx of refugees started to cross the border into Bangladesh fleeing violence in Myanmar.

Bangladesh currently hosts more than 1.1 million Rohingya in different refugee camps at Teknaf and Ukhiya in Cox’s Bazar.

More than 730,000 Rohingya fled Rakhine for neighbouring Bangladesh after a military-led crackdown in August 2017 the United Nations has said was perpetrated with "genocidal intent".