Haiti is the latest country to launch a push for SIM registration, following reports of attempts in a number of countries around the world to keep track of SIM ownership.
According to TeleGeography’s CommsUpdate, the country’s National Council of Telecommunications (Conseil National des Telecommunications, or Conatel) has now launched a nationwide SIM card registration scheme.
According to an official statement from Conatel director general, Jean-Marie Guillaume, an identification system is already in place with the country’s operators Digicel and Natcom.
The scheme requires a telephone application to be used to take the customer’s picture and record the information contained on his or her identification card. After the operator has processed the information, the SIM card will be activated within an hour.
This means, says the statement, that SIM cards will no longer be activated in the national territory if they are not identified in the operator database.
This process, which is expected to last two months, is yet another example of governments trying to manage SIM registration across a variety of countries for a variety of reasons.
As noted in another story today, Liberia has introduced fresh SIM and RUIM registration regulations. Two days ago, meanwhile, we reported the ongoing attempts in Mozambique to enforce SIM registrations, while in late October we reported a SIM re-registration process that dented subscriber numbers in Myanmar. Examples have also come from Zambia, Nigeria, Vietnam and Malaysia.
