SIM Card Deactivation: May 31 Marks Deadline For Registration But NCA Cautioned Against Move

• The deadline set for all SIM cards to be linked to a valid Ghana Card ID to check fraud expires on May 31, 2023
• There have been at least two postponements of similar deadlines in the past after appeals and consultations
• According to the government, a total of 25,150,522 SIM cards had been successfully registered as of February 9, 2023

The deadline set by the National Communication Authority (NCA) to remove or deactivate all active but unregistered SIM cards expires by the close of the day today, May 31, 2023.

This means all SIM card users whose numbers are not linked to the Ghana Card would lose their activation and would be unable to make calls.

There have been at least two postponements of the deadline in the past as many Ghanaians say the SIM registration at the offices of the telcos has been fraught with network challenges and delays due to long queues.

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The "SIM re-registration" as it is known, is a move government-led campaign to sanitise the country’s cyberspace.

Government and experts believe linking the SIM numbers to a recognised national ID would cut down on fraud, as it will make it easy for state agencies to track down people who use their phones for criminal activities.

Deadline extended for the first time last year

Last year, the NCA extended the deadline for SIM card registration to July 31, 2022.

The NCA explained that the extension was to enable ongoing processes to make SIM card registration more effective.

Before the announcement, there were numerous calls by the public for the registration deadline of March 31, 2023.

Again the NCA set April 17, 2023, to delete all unregistered SIM cards, however, the move was rescinded.

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Over 25 million SIM cards registered so far

Early on this year, the NCA said some 25,150,522 SIM cards had been successfully registered in Ghana as of February 9, 2023.

The NCA then appealed to members of the public to link their SIM cards to valid Ghana cards.

It is unclear if the government would once again extend the deadline for SIM registrations by the close of day on Friday, May 31, 2023.

Government asked to proceed with caution

While many experts say they support the "SIM re-registration" they have urged the NCA and the Ministry of Communications against taking hasty decisions.

A digital creator and former head of research and communications at the Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications Derek Barnabas Laryea has said it would be better for the regulator to exclude data SIMs in the May 31 deadline.

"I recommend that all data sims at this time should be excluded from the deadline because millions of these cards will be found here. Also data sims are not necessarily used for Voice or SMS messages so their safety can be guaranteed and the focus can be geared towards SIM cards used for general voice, sms and MoMo," he posted on Facebook on May 31, 2023.

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Ghanaian man reveals his Ghana card is linked to 10 SIMs without his consent

In a related story, YEN.com.gh reported that a gentleman called Nana Kwadwo Yeboah Asiamah narrated how he discovered a suspicious incident regarding his Ghana card.

According to him, while he was trying to get a new SIM card, he was told that he had exhausted the slots.

After doing his checks with the help of a friend that works with a network service provider, he found out 10 unknown numbers were linked to his card.

Source: YEN.com.gh