Guinean regulator ARPT (L’Autoritie de Regulation des Postes et Telecommunications) will deactivate any SIM cards that remain unregistered from 2nd May this year.
As per Decision D/001/ARPT/CNRPT/2021, which came into effect on 31st December 2020, subscribers must provide proof of identity in the form of a national identity card, passport or voter card to register their SIM cards.
TeleGeography reports that subscribers are entitled to hold a maximum of three SIM cards with each operator, with the operators liable for a fine of up to GNF10 million (US$979,550) if they are found to have activated SIM cards or internet accounts without a valid ID.
While legislation that came into effect in 2015 stipulated that “operators of telecommunications networks or services open to the public are obliged systematically to identify their subscribers”, ARPT director general Yacouba Cisse noted that the new stricter rules will align Guinea with broader international standards and help reduce fraud and other crime.
