NCA to deactivate 11 million unregistered SIM Cards by May 31
Customers of telecommunication networks who have failed to register their mobile Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) cards will lose their numbers by May 31, 2023, the National Communications Authority (NCA) has announced.
Director-General of the NCA, Mr Joe Anokye, explained that authorities would deactivate and delink all SIM cards of users who have not completed the SIM registration process to link their phone numbers to the National Identification Authority (NIA) mandated cards (Ghana Cards).
This implies that users without registered SIM cards will not have voice, messaging or data services after the deadline.
Mr Anokye explained to The Ghana Report that 11 million active users who have not registered their SIM cards would be affected.
The only exemptions are foreign diplomats, refugees in the country and Ghanaians on national duty outside the country.
“Subscribers who do not genuinely have Ghana Cards will have to prove that they do not have Ghana Cards to prevent their SIMs from being deactivated,” he stressed.
As of Wednesday, April 26, there were 36, 571, 256 active SIM cards of different telecommunication networks.
Mr Anokye explained at a press briefing that 25, 448, 962 (69.6%) have completed the two-stage registration process.
The rest, totalling 11, 122, 295 (30.4%), are still unregistered, derailing the efforts to uniquely identify every operational SIM card on a central SIM register.
Mr Anokye further disclosed “that active mass SIM registration for existing SIMS is coming to a close”.
Consequently, the “SIM registration exercise will only be for new SIMs from June 1, 2023”.
So far, 6, 178, 452 SIM cards have been deactivated and delinked due to failure to complete the SIM registration process.
Mr Anokye further pointed out that the regulatory authority has placed a cap of 10 SIMs for individuals, but businesses can register more.
Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) will introduce a system to enable subscribers to check the number of SIM cards linked to their Ghana Cards to enhance the process.
The shortcode *402*1# will be deployed by May 1, 2023, for all networks for users to see the phone numbers linked to their Ghana Cards.
Customers who want to delink SIM cards can submit Know Your Customer (KYC) details to MNOs to complete the process.
“This delinking will also be done only at the Customer Care Centres of the MNOs to ensure the integrity and to ensure that only the right owners of SIMs are allowed to delink”.
Credible single SIM register
Mr Anokye expressed delight that after many years, Ghana has a single central SIM register in possession of the regulatory authority as mandated by Executive Instrument 63, 2020.
He assured the public that the current SIM database had not been breached.
“There has been no unauthorized access to the SIM registration database. The identified abuses of the stage one process, which have been resolved, do not amount to unauthorized access to the SIM registration database”.
Mr Anokye expressed confidence that “every active registered SIM in the current SIM registration database can be traced to a unique Ghana Card”.
He further disclosed that a team has been put in place to periodically audit the individual SIM registers held by the mobile network operators to ensure they are consistent with the central SIM register.
He was emphatic that “any MNO found to be in breach would be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law”.
“To our valued consumers, we can assure you that your registration information is safe, your data has not been breached, and that the NCA working with stakeholders is committed to ensuring the continuous integrity of the SIM Register,” he noted.
“SIM Registration is a key national assignment fundamental to our digital transformation agenda. It is critical for the building of trust and confidence in the use of telecommunications, financial and other essential services. A reliable SIM register will support security and law enforcement activities to safeguard our common peace and promote socio-economic development. We count on all stakeholders, including you, the media, to drive the support to enable us to achieve a successful SIM registration exercise”.
SIM Card Registration
The SIM card registration began on October 1, 2022, across the country.
With an initial deadline of six months, the process has been extended on several occasions to enable all users to register.
The exercise requires Ghanaians and all SIM cardholders in the country to register their cards with the mandated identification documents.
Two stages are involved in the SIM card re-registration process.
First, cardholders would link their SIM card to the Ghana Card through an Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) code.
The second stage involves visiting the service provider (agent or customer service) of the mobile network operator to have the process completed.