South Sudan extends SIM registration through end of February - Bikyanews.com

South Sudan extends SIM registration through end of February.

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ADDIS ABABA:  In a move to allow users to register their SIM cards easier and not be without a phone, the ministry of telecommunications has pushed the deadline for all customers to register until February 28 after only a limited number of people had come out to register.

The move aims at educating citizens on the importance of registering their SIM and ensure continued service for users.

Deputy Minister for Telecommunications Beatrice Khamisa said “they all agreed to extend the SIM card registration and urged all subscribers, South Sudanese and non-South Sudanese, to register.”

The registration was announced by the South Sudanese government last year that all mobile phone users register their SIM cards, citing security reasons.

They originally had until the end of last year to register their SIM cards, but that was pushed back by one month to 31 January after low compliance with the government-mandated registration.

Khamisa said “some government ministries were adamant that the deadline not be pushed back a second time.”

But the ministry pushed for another extension, saying that mobile phones “are the only connection to the outside world for many South Sudanese, especially those who live in remote areas.”

He said that the ministry will work closely with the country’s operators in order to publicize the campaign and get users to the appropriate places to register.

BN