Staff Reporter
A main driver of Namibia’s digital economy and the country’s first mobile service provider, MTC, has announced that its voluntary SIM-card registration campaign is open, and will run until 01 January 2023.
Stating the benefits of having a registered SIM card, MTC Chief Human Capital, Corporate and Marketing Officer Tim Ekandjo said “a registered card comes with security benefits – it helps prevent identity theft; forms the basis for systems that combat phone-based fraud; and aids in combating cyber-crime”.
He added that the SIM-card registration is particularly essential, given the high rate of cyber-crime being committed using unregistered cards or devices.
It also generally comes with the convenience value of accessing electronic services, particularly as more companies are upgrading their service offerings to digital platforms. The launch of the national SIM-card registration awareness by the regulator, the Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia (CRAN) on 6 June 2022 resulted in MTC taking a proactive, voluntary SIM registration campaign for its over two million customers as supplementary to the regulator’s efforts.
“At this stage, it’s a proactive exercise we initiated to offer sufficient time and convenience for our subscribers to register early before the mandatory registration kicks off in January 2023, as envisioned by the regulator,” said Ekandjo.
Customers can register at any MTC Mobile Home countrywide. “Additionally, we are or will be having points of registration in all 14 regions, just so that we offer our customers enough time to register way ahead before it is legally enforced. Registration will also take place at the various shows where MTC team
will be present. Customers are encouraged to visit these shows in order to register,” he added.
The SIM-card registration is free and done in contact, meaning a person must be present at a registration point and must bring along the required documents, including identity documents, a police declaration – declaring you are the rightful owner of the number that you are registering under your name – and proof of residence.