Ugandan lawmakers have allowed an extra three months for the country’s SIM card registration process due to various challenges, in spite of telecommunications companies requesting a one-year extension.
Telecommunication companies in Uganda, namely Airtel, MTN, Orange, Uganda Telecom and Warid have complained that only 60 per cent of 16 million mobile subscribers had successfully registered their SIM cards.
Other concerns included the government experiencing a loss in revenue if the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) deactivated SIM cards after tomorrow’s original deadline.
The companies deemed 60 per cent registration a “tremendous success” in the face of problems such as the costs for registration (approximately US$4), the lack of identity cards and other challenges.
The operators have complained the registration process was burdened by confusion, inconsistencies and uncertainties.
After the registration process, they promised to conduct a cleanup process.
