The Sunday News
REGISTRATION of mobile cellular phones Subscriber Identity Module (Sim) cards is a universally accepted practice that ensures responsible use of these communication gadgets. The advent of cellular technology and the growth of Information and Telecommunications Technologies has happened at such a rapid pace that legislative frameworks to regulate their use have tended to lag behind in most cases.
While it has been a requirement for mobile phone lines to be registered in the country, the rise in the use of the communication tools in crime has necessitated a review of the laws in order to plug loopholes that saw some of the users of unregistered lines escape the arm of the law.
Thousands of unregistered mobile phone subscribers were faced with disconnection yesterday as mobile phone operators moved to be in line with new regulations that require all mobile phone subscribers to register their sim cards.
The Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (Potraz) had given operators up to Friday to comply with Statutory Instrument 95 of 2014 that was gazetted on 14 June. While it has been a legal requirement for mobile lines to be registered it would appear there was laxity in the enforcement of these guidelines as seen by the sudden rush by subscribers to register their lines and insistence by mobile operators that they would not sell lines to those without registration documents.
Said NetOne spokesperson Rutendo Chabururuka: “Registration has been going on well and we’ll continue to encourage registration of Sim cards that exchange hands. If Sim cards exchange hands we encourage the new owner to register the Sim card failure of which the originally registered owner is recognised in the system as the bona fide owner of the Sim card.”
The registration process is meant to curb the use of the communication gadgets in criminal activities. We are encouraged by the co-operation of all the networks in the registration exercise and it is our hope that the operators shall also raise awareness among their subscribers on the proper use of the lines.
We say this because a countless number of cases have been before the courts where subscribers found themselves on the wrong side of the law after trading insults over the mobile phones.
Also, the upsurge in the number of ready-to-use registered mobile lines being sold on the streets suggests that there is a lot of improper registration as traders seek to increase convenience for buyers and outsmart competition. The danger with such registration is that the registered user would be in trouble should the line be used for criminal activity.
Our people should be warned against taking such risks. Recent high profile court cases have shown how security organs can use mobile lines in tracking offenders and since many phones now have internet connectivity, there is so much that the little gadgets can be used and abused on.
Our call is to operators and subscribers alike to be responsible and follow the law and not let even competition lead them into cutting corners since the repercussions could be grave. We learn that customers will now be required to make a police report in the event that their Sim card is lost or stolen when seeking a replacement.
As the communication possibilities on the cellular phones increase daily, so does the risks associated with this form of communication since criminals seize on new technology to hit those who are not yet conversant with it.
In the increasingly globalised world, we believe Zimbabwe has done the right thing by following international best practice though we urge mobile operators to make the registration process as smooth as possible.
