State in fresh bid to switch off unregistered SIM c*rds
Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) has directed all mobile operators to clean up their subscriber databases by April 15, failure to which it will start deactivating all unregistered SIM cards.
It said though this has been an ongoing process over the last few years, the planned switch-off follows audit that has unearthed loopholes in adherence to SIM card registration laws by mobile network operators.
“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.
The switching off of such SIMs, according to the authority, is aimed at curbing crime cases believed to be perpetrated by anonymous mobile phone subscribers – who target unsuspecting users.
Properly registered
Previous attempts have seen telecom firms such as Safaricom, Airtel and Telkom Kenya, for instance, switch off hundreds of thousands of such SIMs that are not properly registered.
However, it is now believed that a growing number of mobile users are obtaining new SIMs but are not presenting them for proper record keeping.
In September 2018, for example, the ICT regulator demanded that mobile operators switch off all SIMS not properly registered “with immediate effect.”
This followed an audit which revealed that a large number of SIM cards at the time had either been unregistered, partly registered, improperly or unprocedurally registered and fraudulently registered while others were registered against multiple owners.
The regulator who relies on mobile operators for such data, is yet to make public the number of unregistered SIMs in the hands of thousands of users across the country.
Subscriber identification module (SIM), is an integrated circuit intended to securely store the international mobile subscriber identity number and its related key, which are used to identify and authenticate subscribers on mobile telephony devices such as mobile phones and computers.
The use of unregistered SIM cards, according to the authority, can land one in jail for six months or an equivalent of one Sh100,000 in fine or both if convicted.
Figures from CA show that as of September 30, last year, the number of active mobile subscriptions (SIM Cards) stood at 64.9 million, marking an increase of 0.78 per cent down from 3. 9 per cent increase recorded three months earlier.
Acquisition channel
It attributed the slow uptake of subscriptions to decommissioning of the USSD customer acquisition channel and absolute adoption of the App channel for SIM registration in line with its SIM registration guidelines.
While there has been an increase in the number of unregistered SIMs, the number of active mobile money subscriptions declined last year in what was blamed on increase in the number of mobile loan defaulters whose SIM cards remained having failing to repay loans from credit Apps.
