State to deactivate unregistered sim cards by April 15
Mobile providers have until April 15 to clean up their user files after the Communications Authority (CA) warned of deactivating all unregistered SIM cards.
Despite the fact that this has been a long-running procedure, the planned switch-off comes after an audit revealed flaws in mobile network operators’ adherence to SIM card registration regulations.
“Our data shows an impressive compliance since we made that call in 2018, however, we now feel the need to protect consumers of such products, some of whom often fall prey to fraudsters,” CA said in a statement.
According to the administration, the switching off of such SIMs is aimed at reducing crime instances thought to be performed by anonymous mobile phone subscribers who prey on unwary consumers.
Completely, legalised attempts in the past have resulted in telecom companies such as Safaricom, Airtel, and Telkom Kenya turning off hundreds of thousands of SIM cards that were not legally registered.
However, it is currently thought that an increasing number of mobile phone users are getting new SIM cards but not presenting them for proper record keeping.
For example, in September 2018, the ICT regulator requested that cell operators “immediately” turn off all SIMs that were not properly registered.
Following an audit, it was discovered that a considerable number of SIM cards were either unregistered, partially registered, improperly or procedurally registered, fraudulently registered, or registered against numerous owners at the time.
The regulator has yet to make public the number of unregistered SIMs in the hands of thousands of customers across the country, despite relying on mobile providers for such information.
The international mobile subscriber identity number and its associated key, which are used to identify and authenticate users on mobile telephony devices such as mobile phones and laptops, are securely stored in the subscriber identification module (SIM).
According to the government, using unregistered SIM cards can result in a six-month jail sentence, a fine of Sh100,000, or both if convicted.
CA data states that the number of active mobile subscriptions (SIM Cards) as of September 30, last year was 64.9 million, up 0.78 per cent from the 3.9 per cent gain three months prior.
The poor uptake of subscriptions was ascribed to the decommissioning of the USSD customer acquisition channel and the complete adoption of the App channel for SIM registration in accordance with the company’s SIM registration rules.
While the number of unregistered SIM cards has increased, the number of active mobile money subscriptions has decreased in recent years, owing to a rise in the number of mobile loan defaulters whose SIM cards have stayed after failing to repay loans from credit apps.
