Ghana SIM card registration begins October 1

The much-awaited SIM card registration will commence from October 1 to December 31, 2021.

All existing mobile network subscribers are supposed to present their Ghana-Cards to enable them to register while foreigners will provide their passports and travel documents for registration.

Business entities are also to provide their business registration documents from the Registrar General’s Department for registration.

Ghanaian network subscribers are eligible to register up to 10 sim cards across all mobile networks while foreigners can register three.

Mrs Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, the Minister of Communication and Digitalisation, who announced this at the Minister’s briefing in Accra on Sunday, said those who failed to register their existing sim cards would have them blocked.

She said the registration would curb SIM Boxing and other criminal activities being perpetrated by fraudsters using fake sim cards.

The exercise is in accordance with the Subscriber Identity Module Registration Regulations, 2011, LI 2006.

The sim card registration should have been held in March, last year, but the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the process.

The registration would be undertaken by agents of the mobile network operators at designated registration centres and Ghana Post Offices.

It is expected that the exercise would build better demographic customer databases for mobile networks to help them develop better products and services.

Additionally, the National Communication Authority would have accurate data to regulate the telecommunication industry and improve e-government services for economic growth.

Meanwhile, Mrs Owusu-Ekuful has announced that the Central Equipment Identity Registry would soon be established to address the smuggling and trade in counterfeit, stolen and sub-standard mobile devices.

Ghana would also be connected to the global database to access the IMEI of approved and blacklisted devices to help the authentication of mobile devices, she said.

Source: GNA