SIM card registration deadline extended

The Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) has extended the deadline for the deactivation of all unregistered SIM cards in the country.

The exercise, whose deadline was due today Friday midnight, is now extended for a period of 90 days to 15th September 2012, a press release from PURA said.

The SIM card registration project, which started on 15 January 2012, is being coordinated by PURA, which has made it mandatory to register all SIM cards.

“The objective of the extension is to enable each and every GSM subscriber to register their SIM cards,” PURA added.

It warned that anyone who failed to register his or her SIM card by the new date will have his or her line “completely blocked.”

The SIM card registration exercise, which stemmed from an executive order and geared towards “safeguarding the general public’s welfare and security,” has generated mixed reactions among members of the general public.

While many say the move could not have come at a better time than now, taking into consideration crimes committed, especially those caused through mobile phone calls, others have expressed doubts as to the confidentiality of the information collected during the registration process.