All unregistered SIM cards to be blocked for 2 days each week until 31st September

From Monday, September 5, 2022, mobile network subscribers in Ghana who have still not re-registered their SIM cards and has done only stage one re-registration will start receiving punitive actions including the blocking of all their outgoing calls and data services for 48 hours (2 days) per week.

This will be done in a sequential batch of numbers on a rotational basis weekly as a second punitive measure.

The first punitive measure includes re-routing of all outgoing calls for a message to be played before all calls go through everyday.

This is part of punitive actions the National Communications Authority (NCA) has communicated to all Mobile Network Operators (MNO) for them to institute against users who have still not re-registered their SIM Cards beginning Monday, September 5, 2022.

In a letter dated September 2, 2022, signed by the Director-General, the NCA reminded the MNOs of the registration exercise which is ending on September 30, 2022.

“Please be informed that the punitive measures which were discussed at the meeting at the NCA on 3rd August, 2022, were compiled and reviewed following your submission. After a comprehensive review and with the approval of the Honourable Minister for Communications, Please find below the punitive measures,” the letter stated.

The punitive actions starting this week affect only AirtelTigo, Glo, MTN and Vodafone.

“MNOs [Mobile Network Operators] shall divide the unregistered SIMs into five batches for the purpose of implementing this punitive measure.

“These measures shall exclude blocking of SMS to give defaulting subscribers the opportunity to initiate registration if they so wish. Subscribers who fully register their SIM Cards within the period they have been blocked will only be unblocked by the MNOs after the 48 hours to avoid the MNOs tampering with their systems intermittently,” parts of the letter read.

Vodafone for instance has already sent out messages to customers informing them about the plan to bar unregistered SIM cards from some services beginning September 5.

After September 2022

The letter added that after September 30, 2022, all unregistered SIM cards will be blocked and this is where it will affect all BWAs including Telesol, Surfline and Busy.

“MNOs shall put disconnected SIM Cards in a holding category and current subscribers of these SIM Cards shall be given six (6) months to register their SIM cards, failing which these numbers will be churned by the MNOs,” it added.

The NCA further asked MNOs to liaise with the Electricity Company of Ghana, Ghana Water and other service providers to ensure that their data-only SIMs are registered duly.

The Director-General also directed the MNOs to configure their systems to facilitate the use of passports for non-resident Ghanaians until December 31, 2022.

Source: Graphic