SIM card registration starts at a snail’s pace—Macra

subscriber identity module (SIM) card has started at a snail’s pace, according to Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (Macra).

The exercise, which aims at preventing the use of mobile phones for criminal activities, was supposed to roll out two years ago.

In an interview on Tuesday, Macra spokesperson Clara Mwafulirwa said there are still some outstanding issues that need to be finalised before rolling out the programme in its entirety.

“Currently registration has commenced on a small scale. Licensed operators have embarked on a registration of subscribers’ details based on the current registered base of subscribers,” she said.

Mwafulirwa said Airtel Malawi is the only mobile company that has started registering its subscribers while the format has just been agreed with TNM to roll-out the exercise.

Airtel Malawi corporate social responsibility manager Norah Chavula said their customers are registered on Airtel Money, voluntarily and on ad-hoc basis.

“We actively started registering most of our customers with the advent of our mobile financial service, Airtel Money, as far back as 2012 based on the central bank’s prerequisite for customers to be registered to access and utilise the service,” she said.

TNM public relations manager Limbani Nsapato said they are yet to roll out the exercise as they are waiting for direction from Macra on the initiative.

Section 92(1) and 94(2) of the Communications Act mandates every person to have his or her SIM card registered. n