The move comes after authorities noted that some subscriber information from before August 2019 is missing, causing difficulties in certain legal investigations. A Cabinet paper submitted by the President, in his capacity as Minister of Digital Economy, to amend the Subscriber SIM Card Registration Regulations No. 01 of 2019, was recently approved to address these issues.
Under the new instructions, telecom operators will re-confirm the identities of affected subscribers within a specified period. Only subscribers who complete the verification process will have their SIM card connections updated.
The TRC has also mandated that operators prevent the use of national identity cards of deceased persons and ensure SIM cards cannot be reissued in their names. Operators are required to update relevant data from the Registrar General’s Office on a monthly basis and block issuance of SIM cards using a deceased person’s NIC.
Additionally, the TRC highlighted that SIM cards issued to minors aged 16–17 require parental consent. SIM cards issued to foreign visitors should be deactivated once their visa expires. Furthermore, electronic SIM cards (e-SIM) must only be issued after the subscriber physically visits the telecom operator’s office.
