Uganda’s telecoms regulator, Uganda Communications Commission has issued a directive to mobile network operators operating in the East African country to deactivate all unregistered SIM cards or face stiff penalties.
The regulator, which has been widely panned for the shoddy manner in which it has handled the subscriber’s registration and digital television migration exercises so far, is reportedly issuing the recent mandate in reaction to critics.
Dignited reports that the exercises saw a lot of extended deadlines and no results. All unregistered SIM cards which were billed to be deactivated in 2013 are still online and SIM cards are still being sold without registration on Uganda’s streets.
The recent directive is the latest from UCC who recently directed Ugandan MNOs to harmonize some of their USSD codes. The directive took effect March 1 and MTN Uganda had since been fined 5 Billion Uganda shillings for non-compliance.
