Uganda asks millions of mobile phone users to register SIM cards

The Ugandan government has urged all mobile phone users in the East African country to register their SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) cards a move it says will help curb crime. Uganda Communication Commission (UCC), a state owned agency in an advertorial on Monday said that starting March this year, all new and existing mobile phone numbers will have to be registered to be activated on a mobile network in the country. The exercise follows the enactment of the Interception of Communication Act which provides for the registration of existing SIM cards. According to Fred Otunnu, the UCC Communications and Consumer Affairs officer, the move will help law enforcement agencies to identify owners and be able to track down criminals who use phones to carry out their activities. The country's security ministry back in 2010 argued that the move would also help it on checking terrorism by intercepting criminal suspects. Government already has the mandate to tap phones as and when the need arises. Uganda becomes the latest East African country to embark on the exercise after Rwanda, Tanzania and Kenya. During the one year long exercise, mobile phone users would be required to present valid identification such as a passport, driver's license, staff identity card, voter's card or Local Council (residential) card for their SIM cards to be registered. Statistics by the ministry of information, communication and technology show that there are about 14 million Ugandans who own at least a mobile phone. There are at least seven registered telecommunication service providers which include MTN, Airtel, Warid, Orange, Uganda Telecom, Smile and I-telecom. Otunnu said failure to register a SIM card would be contravening the law and unregistered SIM cards would be deactivated.