SIM cards: Re-registration begins October 31

Re-registration of SIM cards: Users have six months to register their SIM cards with operators, from October 31, 2023 to April 30, 2024. If the SIM card has still not been re-registered by the deadline, it will be automatically deactivated.

More details on the ICTA press release below:

SIM cards: Re-registration begins October 31

SIM card holders are required to re-register their cards from October 31, 2023. Indeed, following the recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry into Drug Trafficking, and the entry into force on this date of the 'Information and Communication Technologies (Registration of SIM) Regulations 2023, any user of SIM cards in the Republic of Mauritius has a period of six months to carry out re-registration. The deadline for this exercise is April 30, 2024. After this date, all SIMs not re-registered will be automatically deactivated.

The aim of this exercise is to ensure that each SIM that is used is actually registered in the name of its user in order to protect subscribers against all types of fraud, identity theft and other misdeals. The re-registration of SIMs will be done online on the operators' websites and any person who does not have access to the Internet will also be able to do this exercise in person with the operator concerned.

Re-registration of SIM cards: users have six months to comply

Starting October 31, 2023, SIM card holders in Mauritius have six months, until April 30, 2024, to re-register their phone chips.
This is in line with the provisions of the Information and Communication Technologies Authority Regulations 2023 aimed at strengthening subscriber security and combating fraud, identity theft and other malicious acts.

After the April 30 deadline, all SIM cards not re-registered will be automatically deactivated, meaning users will no longer be able to make or receive calls or use their mobile data.

The main aim of this is to ensure that each SIM card is registered and associated with its legal owner, thereby helping to prevent criminal activities linked to the use of anonymous SIM cards.

Thus, from this Tuesday, mobile telephone subscribers will be able to re-register their SIM card.

Users will have the choice to carry out this process in a practical way, whether online via the websites or applications provided by their operators my.t, Emtel and Chili, who have set up a process accessible to all subscribers. For those who do not have internet access or who prefer in-person assistance, it will be possible to re-register directly with the operators.

Whether this move stems from a decision by authorities following the recommendations of the Drugs Commission of Inquiry, chaired by former judge Paul Lam Shang Leen in 2018, raises questions and concerns.

So much so that it will be the subject of a parliamentary question this Tuesday.

The Prime Minister should therefore provide details to MP Fabrice David about this exercise.

The PTr MP wishes to know the justifications behind this decision and the implications of these on Sim Cards used by tourists in Mauritius.