Well, the SIM card registration resurrected last week and UCC now requires selected subscribers to reverify their SIMcards. For instance, If you receive a message like “Y’ello, You have more than one number registered under your NIN. Please visit any Airtel Shop with your National ID to confirm them”  from your telco, then you’re one of the subscribers who will face a tough penalty once the registered sim cards are not re-verified

The UCC penalty and who qualifies to reverify

UCC previously inked a revocation policy of all SIM services during the previous SIMcard registration exercise, the move garnered high traffic at registration points and everyone had their SIM card registered before the due date. But if you registered more than 1 card with your national ID number or a names mismatch on your with ur card, then you must reverify ownership of them all.

Unverifie SIMcards that got a notification message to review active lines on one NIN are required to visit a service center or else all the lines will be blocked from accessing any telco services

During a TV interview with the commission’s spokesperson, Ibrahim Bbosa. The Uganda communications act was referred to with section 56 providing 2 instances in which a user can be denied access to services, as refusal to reverify your SIMcard violates the section provoking a penalty in return.

“The Uganda Communications Acts under Section 56 provides two instances when you can be denied service: one is for non-payment of bills and the other is for a just cause. So, if after repeated requests for you to come and verify, to update your sim card registration, especially we also have people who sent in NINs before April 2018 and never update this through biometrics, those people are also required to come and update with the biometrics.” – Ibrahim Bbosa, UCC SpokesPerson

However, as the new UCC re-verification policy doesn’t affect each and every SIM card holder in Uganda, only notified multiple SIM card owners will be denied access to telecom services by their providers. So, this means only a minority of subscribers will face the penalties due to multiple SIM ownerships which are turning out to be fraud pots in Uganda.

While the mighty IGP was sucked from his position by the president. UCC has come out to stop the sale of new sim cards whether on the streets or at any service center. This implies you can no longer buy a new sim card at the moment. Just like MTN decided to announce this first in order to avoid any customers rallying against the exercise. Sim cards purchase has been banned temporarily as telecom operator fix their connection with NIRA.

Why you cant buy a new sim card at the moment

Given the fast rising mobile money scams and all forms of con men making use of smartphones technologies to steal people every now and then. The new sim card experts will see everyone validate the sim card using their national ID. While a few users could dodge the registration techniques by using other cards. This time around, the sim card exercise is hotter than you can ever imagine.

No one can buy a new sim card at the moment. Even though you head out to a service center, getting a new sim card will not be possible since telecom operators will now install card readers which will scan your national ID card before registering your new sim card. However, this is for your own good since we shall not see any conmen trick anyone with anonymous numbers.

Since MTN decided to issue out their warning to customers first. There are no more available sim cards at the moment. More so only kCCA authorized centers will sell sim cards. And just like that UCC may have a new plan to end cybercrime in Uganda.