Information minister Emma Theofelus has strongly encouraged mobile users to register their SIM cards to avoid losing their phone numbers.
The minister made this call in a ministerial statement in the National Assembly on Tuesday.
As part of the regulations, mobile users were given a grace period to register their SIM cards, despite the temporary disconnections between April and June 2024.
“Mobile users who have not yet registered have until 30 June 2024 to do so, or they risk having their numbers permanently cancelled. If a number is cancelled, mobile operators will resell it, and the new user will be required to register their SIM card,” Theofelus said.
Earlier this year, the Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia (CRAN) announced that mobile operators temporarily suspended 567298 SIM cards after users failed to register their cards by 31 March 2024.
The minister advised users to take advantage of the grace period to register their cards.
“The importance of registering SIM cards cannot be overemphasised. This process is crucial for preventing phone-based fraud, identity theft and other criminal activities. Because no law is foolproof, when crimes are committed, having a SIM card registered aids in investigating crimes involving telecommunications devices, and bolsters e-commerce and online trading,” she said.
By the end of April 2024, the minister said 2 172 379 SIM users had registered their cards out of 2 387 230 active SIM cards.
So far, Paratus Telecommunications and UCOM have registered 100% of their clients, while Telecom Namibia and Mobile Telecommunications Limited have registered 70% and 94%, respectively.
She noted the SIM card registration is in line with international practices and Part 6 of Chapter V of the Communications Act of 2009 as published under Government Notice No 40 on 15 March 2021.
-Nampa