By Maureen Odunga
MOBILE phone
subscribers can still recover their SIM card numbers after the expiry of
the ongoing
biometric registration exercise next Monday, but only if
they register them.
With only three
days to go before the deadline, a good number of people are yet to
register their SIM cards due to various reasons including lack of
National Identification Number (NIN).
According to a
public notice issued by the Director General of Tanzania Communications
Regulatory Authority (TCRA) on Thursday to the 'Daily News', people
whose SIM cards will be terminated from service on January 20, this year
can proceed with intention of registration.
Such is intended
for them to acquire their national identification number which can be
used to recover their existing mobile phone numbers or obtain new ones.
"The exercise is
continuous to all current SIM card owners who have not registered their
chips biometrically," stated part of the notice.
On the other hand,
new subscribers will be in a position to register their SIM cards by
using the National Identification Authority (NIDA) cards and be verified
biometrically.
For diplomats and
their respective institutions, who have not completed the registration,
they should continue with the application procedures given out to them,
TCRA said.
Speaking to the
'Daily News', TCRA Acting Public Relations Manager, Mr Semu Mwakanjala
called upon individuals who are yet to finalize the registration to
continue with normal procedures to recover their SIM card numbers.
Mr Mwakanjala revealed that 26,170,137 SIM cards equivalent to 53.8 per cent have been registered biometrically.
It was recently
revealed that the number of all SIM cards comprise of 47 million in the
country accounting for 21.1 million people.
Speaking to
journalists in Dar es Salaam on Wednesday, the Minister for Works,
Transport and Communications Eng Isack Kamwelwe warned there will be no
further deadline extension while tough measures against rising
cybercrimes will be taken.
"As the deadline
for the registration looms, there has been a mushrooming incident of
cybercrime, on these remaining days let's all be on watch," he said.
In December, last
year President John Magufuli extended the biometric SIM card
registration deadline to the 20th of this month, stressing that beyond
then, unregistered lines would be shut down.
Earlier, the
government had set December 31, last year as the deadline for phone
users to have biometrically registered their Sim cards.
President Magufuli
decided to give additional time to those who failed to complete the
process within the given time due to various reasons, mainly lack of
national identification numbers or cards.
He cautioned that
all Tanzanians should ensure they register their Sim cards biometrically
because there would be no excuse after the deadline expires, thereby
directing TCRA to switch off all unregistered lines thereafter.
He explained that
biometric Sim cards registration was crucial for the country's safety
and will help in the fight against criminal acts such as conning and
theft.
He said despite
efforts being undertaken by state organs, including arresting them, some
have continued causing inconveniences and loss of properties to people,
especially money
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