SIM registration: Minority takes on Communications Ministry, NCA over sanctions

The Minority in Parliament says the Ministry of Communications and the National Communications Authority have no legal basis to implement the restrictions placed on the use of mobile telephony services by persons with unregistered SIM cards.

Last week, the NCA authorized Mobile Network Operators to restrict the making of calls from unregistered cards ahead of the September 30th deadline for registration.

There has been a shift in the policy directive of the NCA since then.

Addressing the press in Parliament, Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu called on the managers of the communications sector to desist from implementing self-serving policies such as the SIM card Re-registration exercise.

“Too many silos of data in Ghana. Everybody is keeping biometric data. You cannot synchronize the data, and you still want us to support you in encroaching on the privacy rights of Ghanaian citizens.

“We are calling on the Ministry of Communications and the NCA to desist from treating the communication sector as personal property at the peril of the country’s development.”

Telecommunications companies have halted the barring of calls by customers who are yet to complete the registration of their SIM cards.

Citi News sources say the National Communications Authority withdrew the earlier directive to the telecommunication companies following the public backlash over the issue.

SIM card owners in Ghana who failed to re-register their cards started facing punitive actions on Monday, September 5, 2022, ahead of the September 30 deadline.

Persons who fail to comply with the directive would have their SIM cards blocked after September 30.

The National Communications Authority (NCA) was sued, with a group asking the Supreme Court to declare the deadline for registration and the associated punitive measures for non-registration null and void.

It argued that the punitive measures are unconstitutional