Unregistered SIM Card Holders To Know Fate This Week; Telecos Ready To Enforce Directive – Report

• All unregistered Sim card holders are expected to know their fate from this week after the exercise to block the SIMs was put on hold
• A report by state-owned Graphic Online said a new date and modalities for the next line of action meant to enforce an earlier directive would be announced
• The supervising Minister of Communications is said to be in far away Romania attending an international conference hence the freeze on the blockage directive

The Ministry of Communications and Digitalisation says it is examining the roadmap for the roll-out of an exercise to get all Ghanaians to register their SIM cards.

This comes after the expiration of a September 30 deadline for all SIMs to be registered or risk blockage of those numbers.

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Blockage Of Unregistered SIMs Put On Hold

But that intended exercise to block all unregistered SIM cards effective Saturday, October 1, 2022, has been put on hold.

According to a report by the state-owned news portal, Graphic Online, a new date and modalities for the exercise will be communicated early this week.

The portal quoted a source familiar with the issue and said punitive measures earlier introduced by the National Communications Authority in September would be implemented again.

The source also added that on Friday, September 30, 2022, the regulator met with all telcos who have expressed their readiness to go ahead with the exercise to block all unregistered SIMs.

That agreement will be finalized when the sector Minister, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, currently leading a Ghanaian delegation to an international conference in Bucharest, Romania, returns home.

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This effectively means all unregistered SIM card holders will know their fate from this week.

'Stubborn Academy' Members Happy Unregistered SIMs Have Not Been Blocked

There have been some scenes of jubilation on social media after the government failed to enforce its initial threat to block all unregistered numbers.

The Communications Ministry and the National Communications Authority vowed not to extend the deadline for the exercise beyond the September 30 deadline.

But some concerned Ghanaians took the issue to court, with others filing injunctions against the enforcement of the directive, which has been described as illegal.

It's unclear whether the non-blockage of SIM cards results from the current legal actions at the country's law courts.

SIM Re-Registration: Akufo-Addo Has Been Warned By National Security Not To Block Numbers – Minority

Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that the Minority in Parliament called on the President to halt any attempt to block SIM cards in the country.

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According to the opposition MPs, information available indicates that the National Security Ministry has warned that such an action will plunge the country into a terrible security situation.

Source: YEN.com.gh