There are renewed calls in PNG for mobile phone users to register their sim cards with their respective network provider.
Photo: UNDP
The chief executive of the National Information and Communication Technology Authority (NICTA), Charles Punaha, made the call in the lead up to New Years Eve saying users had until the end of 2017 register or risk having their service cut off.
He said the new measures are being implemented in the light of what he describes as rampant abuse of mobile phones for criminal activities, especially via anonymous calls on prepaid and pre-activated SIM cards.
NICTA had earlier this year also warned the two major mobile phone companies Bmobile Vodaphone and Digicel to register their subscribers.
Mr Punaha said Bmobile Vodaphone is progressing well in this regard whilst Digicel was behind on registration because of a planned upgrade to its network scheduled for June next year.
Mr Punaha at the time said service providers would be fined $US15,000 for every unregistered SIM card user in 2018.
NICTA had allocated 10 million PNG mobile numbers - six million to Digicel, two million to Telikom and two million to Bmobile-Vodafone.
Registration of Sim cards is mandatory under NICTA laws passed recently.
