emmanuel mdachi na martine mdachi wanaishi tanzania

A SIM (Subscriber Identification Module) Card is the card issued by mobile phone operators which provides the individual user with the appropriate number recognized by that network. A subcriber inserts the card into his or her mobile phone to access the mobile phone network.

Since the launch of GSM services in Nigeria in 2001, SIM cards were offered to subscribers without the requirement to provide proper identification by the users.

Sometime in early 2008, security agencies approached the Commission to assist in resolving crimes perpetrated through the use of phones in which criminal elements cannot be identified with the number of the phones that they used.

Consequently, the Commission held a consultative forum involving various telecoms operators, consumer groups, security agencies, telecoms associations, dealers, the Nigerian Identity Management Commission, National Population Commission, National Census Commission, the media and a host of others.

All the participants agreed that it is appropriate and necessary to register phone users in the country. Another committee was then set up to further look at the details of the implementation of the registration programme and submit its recommendations the the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).

Upon reviewing the recommendations of the committee, the Board of the NCC approved the registration of all phone subscribers in the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

This commenced on March 28, 2011, when the official flag off of the registration of all SIM cards was performed by Dr. Eugene Juwah, the Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission in Abuja.

The Registration of existing SIM cards officially ended in January 2012. However, Network Operators will continue to register new SIM cards.

On completion of the validation, harmonization and scrubbing of the records of all registered SIM cards, Operators will be authorized to disconnect unregistered SIM cards from the networks.