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Nigeria: NCC to Deactivate Unregistered Prepaid Cards
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Leadership (Abuja)
18 July 2008
Posted to the web 18 July 2008
Clem Khena-Ogbena
Abuja
As part of efforts to curb the incidence of criminality pervading the nation's telecoms industry, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has vowed to deactivate all yet unregistered prepaid cards, even as it has put in place, an all-inclusive committee of representatives of GSM operators, NCC, National Identification Commission (NIC), Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Media, to fashion out the modalities for registration.
Giving this indication in his address at the Consultative Meeting With Network Operators in his office in Abuja, yesterday, the Executive Vice Chairman, NCC, Engr. Ernest Ndukwe, said that a definite time frame would be decided, when all GSM operators in the country would be required to ensure compliance in recording the personal details of all customers buying prepaid SIM Cards.
Ndukwe noted that, every technological development had provided a new opportunity for criminality, adding that the introduction of cellular mobile telephone services, was not an exception.
The NCC boss, who stated that the subscribers could continue if they register their SIM Cards with their mobile operators during the registration period, insisted that the registration was a must exercise and said it was in developed countries, citing France, Australia, Germany, Hungary, Japan, Switzerland, Norway and even South Africa.
He added, "in Germany for example, mobile phone operators are required to collect customer-information. Access to this information by law enforcement or national security bodies, must go through the Regulatory Authority for Telecommunications and Posts. Japan established identification requirement in response to the 'it's me!' phone fraud, where criminals extorted money from elderly targets by posing as relatives in dire financial need.
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"The Norwegian government has held public hearings regarding mobile phone registration, and has established policies on issues. The Norwegian Post and Telecommunications Authority disintegrates identity requirements and enforces compliance for mobile phone operators.
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