Stefanus Nashama
Despite the official announcement of no extension for the SIM card registration period, the Swapo Party Youth League (SPYL) has made a heartfelt plea to the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology, urging them to reconsider its decision.
SPYL is requesting that the Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia (CRAN) halt the deactivation of unregistered SIM cards by the end of December 2023.
CRAN initially set the registration period from 1 January to 31 December 2023.
The SPYL’s Secretary, Ephraim Nekongo pointed out that service providers like the Mobile Telecommunications Company (MTC) have indicated that only 25 percent of their clientele has been registered so far.
He said that this statistic raises the concern that without an extension, mobile telecom service providers could lose 75 percent of their clients due to the deactivation of unregistered SIM cards.
Nekongo stressed that SPYL has requested a 12-month extension of the SIM card registration period to ensure that all citizens have a fair opportunity to register.
This extension, he argued, should apply to both MTC and Telecom Namibia’s TN Mobile due to the significant public interest and concern.
“Our goal is to ensure that all our citizens can continue to access essential services provided by owning a SIM card,” Nekongo said. Nekongo pointed out that mobile operators like MTC are crucial contributors to the state’s revenue and the country’s socio-economic growth.
He justified his appeal by stating that the deactivation of unregistered SIM cards after the deadline could jeopardize a once profitable state parastatal and have a detrimental impact on the country’s economic performance, affecting services like banks and Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) providers.
“Many of our people rely on EFT facilities to send and receive money from their loved ones,” he reiterated.
Highlighting the difficulties faced by some citizens in reaching registration points, especially those in remote areas, Nekongo urged MTC and TN Mobile to deploy staff members in all 121 constituencies to eliminate long queues and facilitate SIM card registration. Nekongo stressed the importance of extending the registration period for another month to ensure that every citizen has a fair opportunity to register their SIM cards.
The Executive Director in the Ministry of Information Communication and Technology, Audrin Mathe, recently announced that the ministry will decide on 29 December 2023 whether to extend the registration process or not.
Mathe explained that this decision will be based on weekly data collected by both MTC and TN Mobile in collaboration with the ministry.
