Telcos begin blocking unregistered SIM cards

The Chamber of Telecommunications has announced that its members (AirtelTigo, MTN and Vodafone) have commenced the blockage and deactivation of SIM cards that have not been registered with the Ghana Card.

The Chamber in a statement dated November 22 said the decision to block the unregistered SIM cards follows a directive from the Communications and Digitalisation Ministry on November 11.

“Since the 20th of November, 2022 our members have been blocking data services for all subscribers who have only completed stage 1 (linkage to Ghana Card) but not stage 2 (biometric capture) of the SIM registration process, as directed by the Ministry,” the statement noted.

It urged all subscribers who have acquired Ghana cards but are yet to complete stage 2 (biometric capture) to do so before November 30, 2022.

According to the statement, the Telcos will completely deactivate all subscriber SIMs which have not completed the biometric capture registration step by November 30.

It advised persons who need special assistance to register their SIM Cards to contact the National Communications Authority or their Mobile Network Operator for assistance.

“We are confident that the sector Ministry and NCA will announce measures to accommodate individuals who genuinely do not have Ghana cards, once ongoing consultations have been completed,” the statement added.

SIM cards not registered completely to be deactivated on Nov. 30 – Communications Minister

The Communications and Digitalisation Ministry on November 11 announced that SIM cards that have been linked to Ghana Cards but have not undergone the second phase of registration will be blocked from accessing data services from November 20 and completely deactivated on 30 November.

According to the Ministry, approximately 30 million SIM cards had been linked to Ghana Cards as of November 9, while 20.9 million subscribers had completed the registration process by capturing their biometric data.

The sector Minister said an announcement will be made on measures to accommodate persons who do not have Ghana Cards to register their SIM cards.

This is the second time subscribers would have their SIM cards deactivated for failing to register with their Ghana Cards.

Some SIM cards were deactivated during the previous deadline of September 30, because they could not register before the deadline.

Subsequently, these subscribers were reactivated after the Communications Minister announced an extension of the deadline for the registration of SIM cards.