The Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia (CRAN) says Paratus Telecommunications and Ucom Mobile have achieved a 100% SIM card registration rate.
The initial SIM card registration period commenced on January 1, 2023, for 12 months, ending on December 31, 2023.
The Ministry of Information Communication and Technology announced a three-month extension, effective from January 1 to March 31, to ensure full compliance with regulatory requirements and to provide consumers with ample opportunity to register their SIM cards.
“I am pleased to report that Paratus Telecommunications as well as Ucom mobile, formally known as MTN has achieved a remarkable milestone of 100% sim card registration which demonstrates good commitment to regulatory compliance as well as customer service,†CRAN CEO Emilia Nghikembua said.
She added that as of February 29, Namibia boasts a total of 2.4 million active SIM cards across all licensed networks, with 1.7 million successfully registered, resulting in an overall registration success rate of 70.6%.
Meanwhile, Mobile Telecommunications Limited (MTC) has also seen an improvement from a 70% registration rate in January to 76% in February, indicating a steady growth trajectory driven by proactive measures to ensure compliance.
“This is also a significant milestone considering that most of the active sim cards are on the MTC network,†Nghikembua said.
Conversely, Telecom Namibia has experienced a decrease in registrations, dropping from a 79% success rate in January to 54% in February attributed to adjustments made to registered subscriber accounts, primarily due to the removal of deactivated numbers.
Despite this setback, the national average registration rate remains at 70.6%, factoring in the rectification made by Telecom Namibia.
“This stagnation can therefore be attributed to the overstatement of the TN numbers which was reported in January but has since been rectified and hence the numbers that we are reporting today,†she said.
Nghikembua further emphasised that unregistered SIM cards face suspension for three months starting April 1, 2024, during which users will experience service unavailability.
She also stated that SIM card registration is crucial as it serves as a digital identity for various services, including banking, e-commerce, and service notifications.
